The NHL Department of Player Safety announced they’ve upheld the automatic one-game suspension against Edmonton Oilers defenseman Darnell Nurse for instigating a fight in the last five minutes of regulation time, holding him out of a pivotal Game 5 against the Vegas Golden Knights. Head coach Jay Woodcroft was also fined $10,000 as a result of the incident in last night’s Game 4 win.
The automatic suspension holds Nurse, Edmonton’s leader in average time on ice among defensemen, out of Edmonton’s most important game this season to date, with their Second Round series locked in at two games apiece against Vegas.
The incident in question occurred with 50 seconds remaining in Edmonton’s 4-1 Game 4 win, with officials determining Nurse instigated a fight with Golden Knights defenseman Nicolas Hague. With play still going on, Nurse pinched in from the hash marks to fight Hague, who was stationed in a puck battle behind the Vegas net.
It means youngster Philip Broberg, who’s averaged under seven minutes of ice time per game throughout the playoffs, will draw back into the lineup with increased responsibility. The 21-year-old has yet to record a point this postseason but does lead Oiler defenders with a +3 rating. Mattias Ekholm, who’s been paired with youngster Evan Bouchard since joining the team at the trade deadline, could elevate to the top pairing alongside Cody Ceci.
I guess that makes it easy for the league means Pietrangelo is guaranteed to get one. I wouldn’t care if both got zero and got fined instead but whatever they did get it should be equal.
Pietrangelo should get more actually but the mandatory suspension for Nurse will make it an easy one game cop out for the league.
Addition by subtraction. Nurse is a massive liability in his own end.
Kane should get a game for that dirty cross check to the face, Foegle for that dirty elbow before the fight and Pietrangelo should get at least 2 games if not more
Crosscheck hit the shoulder first thats why its not being looked at. It rode up
Also if you saw the stone interview right after the game he stated Hague asked Nurse to fight. Hague dropped gloves first and threw first 8 punches. Shouldn’t have been a suspension
Ok then I guess McDavid should have been suspended for trying to fight Pietrangelo then since that’s the rule anyways. Horrible rule anyways and the oilers are better off with that 9 mill a year pylon nurse