Oilers defenseman Darnell NurseOne game was suspended for head-butting Kingscenter Phillip DanaultThe NHL announced Wednesday that it had a new logo.
Nurse will not be present when Edmonton tries to avoid elimination from the Stanley Cup playoff series.
The incident between Nurse & Danault took place in the second half of Game 5. LA was on the power-play, and Nurse was jockeying with Danault for position in front of Oilers’ netminder Mike Smith. Smith saved his life, but Nurse turned towards Danault and aimed his head at the center.
Nurse is now in her second suspension. The other was for a violation of aggressor-rules. Roman Polak. Although Nurse is not considered a repeat offender in the NHL’s collective bargaining agreements, the suspension for the postseason elimination match reflects a more severe punishment than a one game suspension during the regular season.
LA recovered from a 2-1 series loss and won 5-4 in OT in Game 5, to win the best-of-7 series 3-2.
Edmonton is now free to attempt to force a Game 7 even without its defensive hero. Nurse was the most active Oilers player in regular season ice-time (averaging 25.03 per game). He is also an integral part of Edmonton’s 5-on-5 and special team games. He averaged 22 minutes per postseason game.