When Darnell Nurse slashed Roope Hintz early in the third period of Game 2, fans on both sides had plenty to say. Oilers fans chuckled at how easily Hintz fell to the ice, while Stars fans felt Nurse deserved more than a two-minute penalty.
Stars head coach Pete DeBoer expressed his feelings about the call following the 3-0 win for Edmonton, saying the officials should have handed out more discipline.
“Does anyone in this room think that if Connor McDavid gets carried off the ice like that, that it’s not a five-minute major? Again, if that’s 97 carried off the ice in the same situation, I think we all know the answer to what that looks like for us.”
Some online agreed with DeBoer’s comments, while others laughed about the whole ordeal. Here’s how social media reacted.
“Hintz, you went down like a sack of potatoes.” – @XSchulzy77 via X“Is Hintz’s pad OK? Nurse got a big piece of it.” – @notorious_bill via X“Hintz may never walk again.” – Baggedmilk via X“Honestly, gotta give Roope Hintz credit for doing his best to try to get the major outta that. Would’ve been the best chance the Stars had to get back into this one.” – @thechek182 via X
By the sounds of it, Hintz isn’t doing too well after that slash from Nurse, which is why the Stars and their fans are unhappy.
Jamie Benn on Darnell Nurse’s slash that injured Roope Hintz and only garnered a minor penalty: “We didn’t like it. If that was McDavid walking down the tunnel, I would like to see the result of that.” – Mark Lazerus via X“Darnell Nurse, I hope you never know peace, you will never be the best athlete in your family, and you will never be successful.” – @marchguin via X“It’s 5-minute penalty and a game for intent to injure. We all saw it, it’s undeniable and obvious. Either call the rule book or simply let the players do whatever the funk they want because that was a travesty tonight.” – @CascadiaDream via X“Since Darnell Nurse is headhunting, is this team going to bring out a Todd bertuzzi retaliation for Game 3? Would be pretty smart to sink to Edmonton’s level.” – Daniel via Facebook“They should attack Nurse next game. And McJesus same time.” – Jani via Facebook“Let’s slash McDavid and see what will happen. Sad nobody went after Nurse or McDavid, very sad.” – Michel via X
From the perspective of an Oilers fan, Hintz may have embellished the situation. However, since he didn’t return to the game, Stars fans are even more frustrated that the players didn’t retaliate and go after the Oilers in response to Hintz leaving the game.
Hintz is a crucial piece for the Dallas Stars, and if he misses Game 3, that would be a huge loss. He logged 12:08 before exiting the game and has produced five goals, six assists, and 11 points in 15 games this postseason. A five-minute major penalty would have certainly given Dallas a significant advantage, and Oilers fans would likely have been furious about the decision. However, that did not happen, and the Oilers won Game 3 with a score of 3-0.
Only time will tell if Hintz will be in the lineup for Game 3 on Sunday in Edmonton at 1 PM MST.
