The Western Conference Finals have come to an end after a 6-5 overtime Game 4. After getting swept by the Colorado Avalanche, the Edmonton Oilers announced that Darnell Nurse was playing through an injury during the playoffs. It is reported that he tore his hip flexor but no timeline was given for the recovery.
Darnell Nurse Played Injured Through Three Rounds
Darnell Nurse revealed after Game 4 that he played the entire playoffs with a torn hip flexor. pic.twitter.com/mv4eJcvZKF
— TSN (@TSN_Sports) June 7, 2022
The 27-year-old was injured on April 22 on a hit by Colorado’s J.T. Compher. He missed the last four games of the regular season but was ready by Game 1 of the First Round. Nurse stated after the game that the trainers taped him up and gave him anti-inflammatories so that he could play. He goes on to say, “there is no excuse, everyone’s banged up this time of year.” He also stated he was going to use this as motivation to come back even better next season.
Despite being injured the defenceman played in every game that he could. However, Nurse did miss one game, game six of the Oilers First-Round series against the LA Kings. Although, Nurse was out due to a suspension and not and not the injury. In 15 games played, Nurse scored two goals and recorded six points. Nurse’s play drew some ire from fans as he seemed to be playing below his standards during the playoffs. Well with the news that Nurse was playing through an injury, we can understand why his play was below his usual standards. During the regular season, he scored nine goals and recorded 35 points in 71 games played.
What This Means
It is unclear how long Nurse will be out due to his injury. He should have time during the off-season to heal his injury and work on getting back to one hundred percent before training camp. Next season is the start of the eight-year, 9.25 million dollar contract extension he signed last August. The Oilers will want their top-paid defenceman playing to the best of his abilities. An announcement should be made on the specifics of his injury soon.
