Oilers’ Darnell Nurse to Receive Hearing From NHL DoPS

As per David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period, “Per sources, I would expect the NHL Department of Player Safety (DoPS) to announce a hearing for Oilers D Darnell Nurse for his crosscheck on LA’s Quinton Byfield in Monday night’s game.”

Nurse was issued a major penalty and a game misconduct for cross-checking Quinton Byfield in Monday’s game between the Edmonton Oilers and Los Angeles Kings. It was a nasty affair filled with penalties, and Nurse seemed to take things a step too far when he placed Byfield in a headlock near the Oilers’ net and drove him down to the ice. While down, he hit Byfield in the back of the helmet with an additional crosscheck that got him tossed from the game.

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Don’t Expect Anything Major for Nurse

As Greg Wyshynski of ESPN points out, if NHL Player Safety decides to take action against Nurse for the cross-checking game misconduct, any discipline will likely be minimal—unless Byfield ends up dealing with a significant injury. It was bad, but it wasn’t egregious, and Andrew Mangiapane’s one-game suspension in 2023 for cross-checking Jared McCann didn’t lead to much.

As for Nurse, any potential punishment probably hinges on the force of the cross-check and the extent of Byfield’s injury.

Mark Spector of Sportsnet posted during the game, “Nurse can’t deliver that shot to the back of Byfield’s head. Whatever he gets, he deserves.” He then added, “The Nurse cross-check to the back of a prone Quinton Byfield’s head will have the Oilers squirming this week.”

The Oilers are already without Mattias Ekholm, who is likely done for the season. Edmonton can’t afford to be down another top defenseman for any length of time. If it’s the final game of the season, it won’t mean much, given the Oilers’ playoff spot is already secure.

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