Toronto Maple Leafs ahead Ryan Reaves has been suspended 5 video games for an unlawful verify to the pinnacle of Edmonton Oilers defenseman Darnell Nurse.
The NHL’s Division of Participant Security introduced its ruling Sunday following a listening to with Reaves earlier within the day. That is Reaves’ fourth profession suspension and the third hooked up to successful he delivered. Reaves will forfeit $35,156.25 in wage and is eligible to return for Toronto on Dec. 4 in opposition to Nashville.
The play in query occurred throughout the second interval of Saturday’s recreation between the Leafs and Oilers. Nurse was carrying the puck behind his personal web when Reaves delivered a thundering shoulder hit to Nurse’s head. Edmonton’s bloodied blueliner instantly fell to the ice and needed to be helped to the dressing room by coaching employees and a teammate. Nurse didn’t return. Reaves acquired a five-minute main and match penalty.
“Reaves closes in on Nurse and delivers a excessive, arduous verify that cuts throughout the entrance of Nurse’s physique, lacking his core and selecting his head, making it the principle level of contact on his physique the place such head contact was avoidable,” the division stated a video launched Sunday. ” … Whereas we perceive Nurse is within the strategy of enjoying the puck, Nurse doesn’t materially change the place of his head and physique simply previous to contact that makes his head the principle level of contact.”
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The division stated the five-game ban was decided as a result of the play glad each parts of an unlawful verify — the pinnacle being the principle level of contact and such contact being avoidable by Reaves — and triggered an damage to Nurse, coupled with Reaves’ historical past of prior suspensions.
Edmonton coach Kris Knoblauch offered no replace on Nurse’s well being standing after Edmonton’ 4-3 extra time loss to Toronto.
Dropping Nurse for any prolonged interval could be a blow to Edmonton’s defensive depth. Nurse has two targets and 9 factors in 18 video games this season whereas averaging almost 21 minutes per recreation on the Oilers’ blue line (third most amongst defensemen). He has been a stalwart second-pairing skater who performs in all conditions. That manufacturing will not be simple for the Oilers change from a mixture of potential candidates, together with bigger roles for Travis Dermott, Brett Kulak or Ty Emberson.
Reaves has been out and in of the Leafs’ lineup this season, averaging a team-low 7:51 minutes per recreation with one help in 16 appearances.
“It is a harmful play,” Oilers ahead Ryan Nugent-Hopkins stated Saturday. “[Reaves] has acquired to know that Nursey does not see him coming and select the best path there, and he does not. It is powerful to see certainly one of your teammates on the ice like that.”
