Darnell Nurse Ejected After Dangerous Hit on Quinton Byfield
So, there was a wild moment in the Kings-Oilers game on Monday night that’s stirring up a lot of conversation—and for good reason. Things got heated between these two Pacific Division rivals when Edmonton Oilers defenseman Darnell Nurse delivered a dangerous cross-check to the back of Kings forward Quinton Byfield's head. It was one of those moments where you could feel the tension on the ice erupt into something bigger—and Nurse’s actions didn’t go unnoticed.
The play happened late in the second period, around the 14:36 mark, during a scramble in front of the Oilers’ net. Byfield went down to the ice, and that’s when Nurse came in with the cross-check to the back of his head and neck. Right away, officials hit him with a five-minute major and a game misconduct—he was done for the night. Honestly, it was a rough scene, and Byfield didn’t return for the third period. The Kings later said it was an upper-body injury, but you could see it shook the team.
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The fallout didn’t stop there. In a heated intermission interview, Kings veteran Phillip Danault didn’t hold back. He accused the Oilers of sending out a “B squad” with the goal of hurting people. You could feel the frustration in his voice—and to be fair, the Oilers were definitely missing a chunk of their top talent that night. Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl, Zach Hyman, Mattias Ekholm, all out, presumably being rested or recovering ahead of playoffs.
Corey Perry, another seasoned voice on the Oilers bench, fired back postgame saying, “What do you want us to do?” Basically defending their lineup and denying any intent to injure. Still, when you watch that replay of Nurse’s hit, it’s hard not to wince.
Byfield, who had already scored a power-play goal earlier, has been having a solid season—23 goals and 31 assists over 80 games. The timing of this injury couldn’t be worse with playoffs right around the corner. And it stings even more knowing that these two teams are set to clash again in the first round of the playoffs—for the fourth year in a row. The Kings finally have home-ice advantage this time, finishing ahead of Edmonton by four points, but that hasn’t helped them in the past. The Oilers have knocked them out three years running.
As for Nurse, this isn't his first run-in with league discipline. He’s been suspended before, including a one-gamer for headbutting Danault in 2022 and another for a late instigator penalty in last year’s playoffs. So, this incident adds another chapter to his controversial record.
With emotions already running high, this hit has only added fuel to what’s becoming one of the most intense rivalries in the league. And if this is how things are going in the regular season, imagine what Game 1 of the playoffs is going to look like. Buckle up.
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