Edmonton Oilers defenceman Darnell Nurse will have a hearing Wednesday for head-butting Los Angeles Kings centre Phillip Danault, the NHL’s department of player safety announced.
The incident occurred with 9.3 seconds remaining in the second period of Edmonton’s eventual 5-4 overtime loss on Tuesday, when Nurse used his head to make contact with Danault, who was near the crease after Oilers goaltender Mike Smith froze the puck following a save. Nurse did not receive a penalty for his actions.
The 27-year-old has been suspended once in his career for serving as the aggressor in a fight with then-San Jose Sharks defenceman Roman Polak in 2016.
After Tuesday’s loss, the Oilers are on the brink of elimination — currently trailing their first-round series against the Kings 3-2, with Game 6 taking place in Los Angeles on Thursday.
Losing Nurse for any number of games would be a crucial loss for the Oilers. The rearguard led all players in ice-time on Tuesday, playing 26:23. The next closest player on the Oilers was Cody Ceci at 22:31.
In five games this post-season, he has one goal, one assist, a plus-five rating and 16 penalty minutes.
