Edmonton Oilers defenceman Darnell Nurse sustained an upper-body injury during the second period of the Leafs-Oilers tilt on Saturday night.
Nurse suffered what looks like a head injury following a needlessly aggressive hit from Leafs’ enforcer Ryan Reaves. The replay showed contact to the head, as Reaves lay into Nurse. Nurse lay on the ice for a few moments before being helped up by training staff.
After a few minutes, Nurse was able to skate off the ice with help. He did not return to the game with the Oilers ruling Nurse out with an upper-body injury. There is no word at the time of writing, regarding the extent of Nurse’s injury.
Nurse sustained a significant cut to the eye, and most likely underwent concussion protocol. He was reportedly spotted with a swollen eye, but walking around without help.
It is unclear how long, if at all, Nurse could be out of the lineup. The Oilers next play on Monday night against the Montreal Canadiens. There’s a fair chance Nurse may need a couple of extra days to recover. Unless he sustained a concussion, Nurse should be good to go either on Tuesday against the Ottawa Senators or perhaps on Thursday against the Minnesota Wild.
As for Reaves, he will most likely receive some disciplinary action. He’s a repeat offender, having been suspended three times before for similar plays. A three to five-game suspension could be on the horizon for the 37-year-old Leafs forward.
Edmonton Oilers players react to Darnell Nurse’s injury
Oilers forward Adam Henrique was quoted by The Hockey News following the game, stating: “You never want to see that.”
Similarly, centre Ryan Nugent-Hopkins agreed that Reaves' hit was uncalled for, saying: “It's a dangerous play.”
Oilers coach Kris Knoblauch was far more outspoken, stating: "I’m worried about the player. Obviously, contact to the head, we don’t want that. I won’t go into details about how severe it was and all that.”
Everyone throughout the Oilers’ organization has expressed their concern for Nurse. Hopefully, he’ll be all right and won’t suffer any long-term injuries resulting from the hit. In the meantime, the Edmonton Oilers have another hole to fill in their blue line.
Fans should expect a call-up from Bakersfield to fill in temporarily. It seems unlikely Nurse will go on IR. But until that’s determined to be the case, the Oilers will need to figure out what to do Monday night against the Habs.