The NHL’s Department of Player Safety fined Edmonton Oilers defenseman Darnell Nurse $5,000, the maximum allowable under the CBA, for interference on Vancouver Canucks defenseman Kyle Burroughs in Wednesday night’s game.
The incident took place in the first period after Burroughs took a hit from Oilers forward Evander Kane. After the awkward collision, Nurse came in along the boards and hit an unsuspecting Burroughs from behind. He was handed a two-minute minor for interference on the play. Interference is called when a player uses his body to halt the progress of an opponent who does not have possession of the puck, with no effort to play the puck.
Nurse scored the game-tying goal on a direct feed from Leon Draisaitl late in the second period to make it 3-3. The Oilers completed the comeback, winning 5-3 in their season opener. Nurse had one goal and one assist on the night.
This isn’t the first time Nurse has been down this road with the NHL’s Department of Player Safety. In 2016 he was suspended for three games for instigating a fight with San Jose Sharks defenseman Roman Polak. Most recently, he was suspended one game in last year’s playoff series against the Los Angeles Kings when he head-butted Phillip Danault. Nurse may have gotten off easy this time around.
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