Stars’ Kyle Capobianco exits game vs. Devils with lower-body injury

The Dallas Stars fell in a 5-1 home blowout to the New Jersey Devils on Tuesday night as Connor Hellebuyck made his debut for the visitors, but the night got worse in the final frame for the home team. 

After struggling to find consistency, the Stars had to play the final minutes without defenseman Kyle Capobianco in the lineup. The 29-year-old was forced to leave the game after limping off the ice with an apparent leg injury after suffering a hit from Devils forward Timo Meier. 

While Capocianco remains a depth piece for head coach Glen Gulutzan’s Stars, the injury bug has not been kind to the team this season. Already, Esa Lindell, the Stars’ top penalty-killing defenseman, has been out for over a week and remains on injured reserve. 

This season, Capobianco has already played five games for the Stars, mostly on the third pair alongside veteran Tyler Myers. After signing a two-year, one-way deal worth $850,000 in 2026-27 and $900,000 in 2027-28, his role has become more important than expected and could now leave a void on the blueline. 

While defense was an issue on Tuesday, allowing five goals on 27 shots with Casey DeSmith between the pipes, offense was a bigger struggle, with the debutant three-time Vezina Trophy winner putting just 17 shots on the other end. It marked just the third time this season that the Stars have failed to score more than one goal, and the loss snapped a previous five-game win streak. 

The Stars will now wait to learn the extent of Capobianco’s injury before making a potential roster move, as they look ahead to the final two games of the current six-game home stand: a Thursday night matchup against the Montreal Canadiens, followed by a Halloween clash with the Columbus Blue Jackets on Saturday.