Edmonton Oilers defenceman Darnell Nurse was on the receiving end of a scary headshot from Toronto Maple Leafs enforcer Ryan Reaves tonight.
After picking up the puck behind the Oilers net and passing it off, Reaves stormed in with a high hit, catching Nurse’s head with his shoulder and causing the Edmonton defender to go down in a heap.
It appeared the hit caused Nurse’s visor to cut his forehead, causing an alarming amount of blood to splatter onto his helmet. It was an ugly and dangerous hit, the kind the NHL is trying to get rid of.
As such, Reaves was given a five-minute match penalty and will certainly be hearing from the league in the coming days about a potential suspension.
Ryan Reaves receives a 5-minute match penalty for this hit on Darnell Nurse. pic.twitter.com/hVZN9FJpRY
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) November 17, 2024
Nurse had a tough start to the season, but was playing some better hockey as of late. The hope is that he can come out of this unfortunate play without a major injury. Due to the direct contact with the head, a concussion will be among the worries for Nurse.
The Oilers confirmed shortly after the hit that Nurse would not return to the game with what they declared an upper-body injury.
Darnell Nurse (upper body) will not return for the #Oilers tonight.
— Edmonton Oilers (@EdmontonOilers) November 17, 2024
This is far from the first time Reaves had found himself on the wrong side of the NHL rulebook. The 37-year-old enforcer has been suspended three times in his career and fined an additional three times as well.
There is a good chance that suspension count will go up to four after this incident. We will see if the NHL agrees with that assessment and, if so, how many games that will entail for Reaves.