Coach Knoblauch and the Oilers had only said that Nurse sustained an upper-body injury, which immediately caused worry about a concussion and their unpredictable recovery times. Kulak's injury report is much more reassuring for fans.
It's an incredibly fortunate to hear that Nurse avoided a concussion on the play, for his recovery time and for him personally.
The entire hockey world was shocked by the inexcusable hit by Leafs forward Ryan Reaves on Darnell Nurse. Reaves, a pure enforcer and nothing more, delivered a completely avoidable hit to the head that surely had intent to injure.
The NHL Department of Player Safety suspended Ryan Reaves 5 games for the hit on Darnell Nurse. Many fans thought that suspension was too light for a player with a history of dirty hits like Reaves, but Brett Kulak said the decision was appropriately measured by the league - a mature answer from the veteran.
Brett Kulak himself is having a fantastic year so far with the Oilers. After losing several defenders last offseason, Kulak has emerged as a decent candidate for top four minutes, maybe even allowing the Oilers to consider adding a third pair defenceman.
Darnell Nurse was projected to return to the lineup in only 5-10 days, and if the primary issue is swelling around his eye, it will likely be the lower range of the timeframe.
With a weaker blueline this year than last year, Darnell Nurse means so much more as a player that can reliably eat 20 minutes a night. It's great he'll be back soon, hopefully by Thursday's game against the Minnesota Wild.
POLL | ||
Do you think Nurse will be back earlier, or later than November 23? | ||
Earlier than the 23rd | 25 | 30.1 % |
After the 23rd | 54 | 65.1 % |
See Results | 4 | 4.8 % |
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