Oilers’ Darnell Nurse Suspended One Game For Head-Butting Kings’ Phillip Danault
The Edmonton Oilers will be without one of their key defensemen ahead of a pivotal Game 6 versus the Los Angeles Kings.
On Wednesday, the National Hockey League suspended Darnell Nurse for one game in response to his head-butting incident involving Kings forward Phillip Danault.
The play occurred during the dying seconds of the second period in Tuesday’s Game 5. Shortly after Oilers goaltender Mike Smith froze the puck, Nurse, while tied up in front with Danault, forcibly made head-to-head contact.
No penalty was assessed on the play, however, it caught the attention of the NHL’s Department of Player Safety. As a result, Nurse, 27, received a hearing with the league, during which he was made aware of the supplemental discipline.
Unfortunately, this suspension will prevent Nurse from playing in Thursday’s potential elimination game in Los Angeles. If Edmonton can manage to even the series at three wins apiece, he’d be eligible to return in Game 7.
Still, this news is a massive blow for the Oilers. If losing 5-4 in overtime a night ago wasn’t heartbreaking enough, they’ll now attempt to keep their season alive while missing a massive presence on their blue line. That’s no small task.
In his absence, the team will likely dress Kris Russell, who hasn’t played since Game 1 of the series. Head coach Jay Woodcroft could also opt to roll with seven defencemen, which would likely mean recalling youngster Philip Broberg from the AHL. Either way, replacing Nurse will be next to impossible for Edmonton. Ever since breaking into the league, he’s played a critical role on defense for the Oiler, and the 2021-22 season wasn’t any different in that regard.
During the regular season, Nurse led all defensemen on the team in average ice-time by a significant margin, with 25:03 minutes a night. The next closest was Cody Ceci, who played 20:54 minutes of ice-time per game.
Offensively, the 6’4” blueliner showcased his scoring ability numerous times, resulting in nine goals and 35 points in 71 games with six of those points coming on the power play.
In the playoffs, Nurse had appeared in all five games against the Kings, registering one goal and two points. He’s also posted 13 blocks, 10 hits, eight shots on goal and one takeaway.
For his career, the Hamilton, Ontario, native has appeared in 26 postseason contests, averaging 22:32 minutes of ice-time per game. In total, he’s scored one goal and seven points during that span.
Despite a shaky first half, the Oilers finished with a 49-27-6 record and 104 points this season, claiming second spot in the Pacific Division. The Kings finished just five points behind them, placing third in the division.
After dropping Game 5, Edmonton will hit the road once again and set off for Los Angeles in the hopes of staving off elimination. There, the franchise will look to avoid a third straight first-round exit.
A potential series-deciding Game 6 will be held at Crypto.com Arena on Thursday, beginning at 10:00 p.m. ET.
-Thomas Hall
Twitter: @ThomasHall85
Photo: Connor Mah. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic license.