Stephane Robidas fractures leg
— -- DALLAS -- Anaheim Ducks defenseman Stephane Robidas fractured his right leg early in the second period of Game 3 of Anaheim's first-round series with the Dallas Stars. He was taken to a Dallas-area hospital for further evaluation.
Robidas and Ryan Garbutt got tangled up in front of the Ducks' net, and Robidas had to be helped off. He wasn't able to put any weight on the leg as he left the ice at American Airlines Center.
"It's a big loss for us," Anaheim defenseman Cam Fowler said. "My heart just breaks for the guy. He worked so hard to come back and become a big part of this team, and then there's a freak accident and he goes down again. Really I'm just thinking about him and hoping that he's doing OK. He was a big part of this team and was going to continue to play a huge role for us. It's a pretty big loss."
It's the same leg Robidas fractured Nov. 29 as a member of the Stars. He missed four months before returning to the ice with the Ducks last month.
"It's a huge loss because he was playing great," Anaheim coach Bruce Boudreau said. "And of course, I think all the guys on the bench felt extremely bad for him. Here's your teammate who's just fought his way back from a broken leg.
"I don't know what the extent of the injury is. I know it doesn't look good and he's probably out for a long time, but it looked like the same leg and everything to me. You have to feel for an athlete that worked so hard to get back and then that same thing happens to him."
Robidas was traded at the deadline for a conditional fourth-round draft pick.
"It's obviously upsetting," said Stars defenseman Trevor Daley, who played with Robidas for much of the season in Dallas. "Steph is a warrior. It's tough. We want to beat them with Robi in there. It's upsetting."
As Robidas was helped off the ice, many in the sellout crowd of 19,120 chanted, "Robi, Robi," in support of a player who played 704 regular-season games over two stints in Dallas.
Robidas played 7:21 on Monday with one shot on goal before the injury. The Ducks lost 3-0.
Boudreau said the options to replace Robidas in Game 4 on Wednesday night include Luca Sbisa and Mark Fistric, another former Dallas player.
Fistric has completed a rehab stint after being out since March 15 because of a lower-body injury. Sbisa is in his fifth season with the Ducks but has never been in the playoffs and appeared in only 30 games this season.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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