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Darnell Nurse Returns to Edmonton Oilers Lineup Versus Kings

The Edmonton Oilers have activated Darnell Nurse off of injured reserve and he’ll return to the lineup Sunday vs. the LA Kings.

According to the Edmonton Oilers’ official site, defenseman Darnell Nurse has been activated off of injured reserve ahead of Sunday night’s game versus the Los Angeles Kings. The return of Nurse to the lineup is huge news for the team as the defenseman was playing the most minutes per game on the blue line and the Oilers were playing with a very depleted left side of the defense corps.

Related: Connor McDavid Proves His Value as the Oilers’ Captain

The team announced that they have activated Nurse off the injured reserve list and while everyone waited for the official word to come from coach Dave Tippett during his pre-game media avail, the expectation was that if Nurse was able to go, he’d be in. That confirmation came as expected which means William Lagesson will come out of the lineup.

Nurse will return just in time for the team to avoid losing two in a row for the first time this season. Coming off a tough loss to the Seattle Kraken, Edmonton is looking to avoid any kind of losing streak and maintain pace near the top of the Pacific Division. They currently hold one of the league’s best winning percentages but are three points back of the Calgary Flames with two games in hand. A win tonight gets them knocking on the doorstep of first place again.

Darnell Nurse returns to the Oilers lineup Sunday vs the Los Angeles Kings

Nurse Should Make an Immediate Impact

After suffering a broken finger a couple of weeks ago, Nurse was participating in a full practice Saturday and it was speculated he was close. The final box to check was clearance by the team’s medical staff. That happened on Sunday.

The injury was never said to be extremely serious, but any time Nurse misses is a big loss for the Oilers. Outside of Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl, he’s arguably the Oilers’ next-most impactful player. His insertion into the lineup should give the Oilers an immediate boost and perhaps help the team come out to a better start. Strong first periods have not exactly been known as a strength of this team in 2021-22.

Next: Mark Giordano Has “Unfinished Business” With the Calgary Flames

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