Edmonton Oilers defenceman Darnell Nurse was reportedly spotted in the locker room moving around and making jokes with team staff after exiting Saturday’s game against the Toronto Maple Leafs due to taking a check to the head from opposing forward Ryan Reaves.
No postgame update on Darnell Nurse; have to see how things evolve over next few days.
He was walking around and joking with trainers, per @EdmontonJack.
Ryan Reaves went towards Edmonton room for a face-to-face apology during the third period. We await the NHL's decision on…
— Elliotte Friedman (@FriedgeHNIC) November 17, 2024
The play in question occurred early in the second period when Nurse was behind his net corralling the puck and attempting to find an open man on the left side of the ice to start the breakout. As he made his way to the open area to the left of Stuart Skinner, Reaves came flying in and caught him directly in the head with his shoulder.
A bloodied and dazed Nurse was ruled out for the rest of the game, requiring some assistance to get off the ice. Reaves was given a five-minute match penalty for the infraction, which resulted in him being scheduled to have a hearing today with the Department of Player Safety.
For what it’s worth, Reaves reportedly also went over during the third period to offer a face-to-face apology. While this won’t impact the length and severity of his impending suspension, at least he showed some remorse for his actions by going out of his way to chat with Nurse.
That apology won’t win the rest of the Oilers players any brownie points as they were understandably quite critical of the infraction that resulted in their teammate being injured.
“The game is fast and… I mean just avoiding the hit, we’re professional athletes,” said forward Adam Henrique, who was on the ice when the hit was laid. “We’re able to make those decisions quickly in our head, and you know when a guy is vulnerable or in a bad spot, those sorts of things around the ice. It’s one you don’t want to see.”
“It’s a dangerous play,” Oilers forward Ryan Nugent-Hopkins added. “(Reaves has) got to know Nursey doesn’t see him coming, and choose the right path there, and he doesn’t.”
Head coach Kris Knoblauch did not provide an update on Nurse’s condition following the game, though the team declared his exit from the game against the Leafs due to an upper-body injury. The fact that he was reportedly spotted walking around the Oilers locker room after having to be assisted off the ice is an encouraging development that perhaps he won’t be out for long, especially given the severity of the hit from Reaves.
