Leafs' Reaves suspended 5 games for hit to head of Oilers' Nurse
Toronto Maple Leafs forward Ryan Reaves was suspended five games for an illegal check to the head of Edmonton Oilers defenseman Darnell Nurse, the NHL's Department of Player Safety announced Sunday.
The hit occurred in the second period of Toronto's 4-3 overtime victory Saturday night. Reaves was assessed a match penalty, while Nurse was ruled out of the remainder of the contest with an upper-body injury.
Ryan Reaves receives a 5-minute match penalty for this hit on Darnell Nurse. pic.twitter.com/hVZN9FJpRY
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) November 17, 2024
The league found that head contact was avoidable.
There's been no update on Nurse's status.
This is the fourth suspension of Reaves' 893-game NHL career. He'll forfeit just over $35,000 in salary and is eligible to return Dec. 4 against the Nashville Predators.
Reaves is under contract for one more season after this one with a $1.35-million cap hit. The 37-year-old has recorded one assist, 23 penalty minutes, and 44 hits in 16 games so far this campaign.
Nurse, meanwhile, has two goals and nine points under his belt in 18 games. He was averaging 21:36 minutes of ice time before being knocked out of Saturday's contest. The 29-year-old is signed through the 2029-2030 season with a $9.25-million cap hit.