The Oilers’ Darnell Nurse hasn’t had a great postseason and has taken a lot of heat for it. That minus-15 rating sure isn’t pretty. The Oilers need more from him — and that can only happen if he’s playing.
He didn’t do much of that Monday.
Nurse left the game 8:23 into the first, immediately grabbing his left hip after the check by Rodrigues, which took place in the corner to the left of Oilers goaltender Stuart Skinner. That was his fourth shift, one that lasted 13 seconds. He’d skated 2:18 to that point.
Nurse spent the rest of the period in the dressing room. He returned to the ice to start the second period but went back down the tunnel. He continued testing out his injury during TV timeouts. He played one shift in the second period and two in the third but was limited to just 4:20 in the game.
The Oilers managed with just five defensemen in Nurse’s extended absences. Cody Ceci is the next man up if Nurse’s ailment prevents him from playing Game 3. It’s worth noting that Nurse played through a torn hip flexor in the 2022 playoffs.
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