NHL: Stanley Cup Playoffs-Los Angeles Kings at Edmonton Oilers - Source: Imagn — Ex-NHL D-man makes honest admission about Darnell Nurse's controversial slash on Stars' Roope Hintz (Imagn)

Ex-NHL D-man makes honest admission about Darnell Nurse's controversial slash on Stars' Roope Hintz

Modified May 27, 2025 15:02 GMT

Darnell Nurse courted controversy with his slash on Roope Hintz, whose status is in doubt following it. No major penalty was assigned to the Edmonton Oilers' defenseman, and his playing status is not in jeopardy.

Hintz had to leave the game with assistance and couldn't put any weight on his leg after remaining down in front of the net for some time. After the review, Nurse was stuck with a minor penalty.

Former NHL defenseman Craig Ludwig isn't upset by it. In fact, on Spittin' Chiclets, he said:

"It's part of the game... That's just what you do in front of the net... I looked at Nurse, and nobody really talks about it, it wasn't bad. But, you know, Roope kind of gave him a little cross-check in the back right before that.

"And so Nurse knows where he is. He doesn't even look back. I mean, you can, it's kind of an instinct thing. You know what side of the body he's on. You kind of have a general idea where his feet are. And you're trying to make it uncomfortable for people there."

Ludwig understands that Hintz had to get a walking boot and leave the game, but said that's part of the posturing for an incident like this. He added:

"If you do it enough that particular play, you kind of know where you're aiming for, and, you know, there's that certain part of the foot that is a little more exposed."

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The Oilers currently hold a 2-1 lead over the Dallas Stars. Game 4 is on Tuesday at 8:00 pm ET.

Stars coach furious over lack of major on Darnell Nurse

After the game, Dallas Stars coach Peter DeBoer was irate with a major penalty not being called against Edmonton Oilers defenseman Darnell Nurse during the game when he slashed Roope Hintz.

Roope Hintz was slashed by Darnell Nurse (Imagn)

He suggested to the media that if Connor McDavid had left the ice like Hintz did, there absolutely would've been a "five-minute major" assessed.

Forward Mason Marchment added via ESPN:

"He's one of our best players, and now he's done for the game, right? I don't really want to tell them what they should do or what they should have called, but that's one of our best players, and I don't think it was enough."

DeBoer reiterated after Marchment's comments that McDavid would've yielded a serious penalty, so he's unsure why Hintz did not.

About the author

Zachary is a journalist covering NFL, Professional Golf, esports, and Major League Baseball at Sportskeeda. He has a degree in writing/editing from Southern Adventist University (USA), and in his spare time, he likes to play games such as Minecraft, Pokémon and Fortnite, or watch sports.

Ever since he was a youth football wide receiver, Zachary has been an avid NFL fan. He loves the Carolina Panthers, with Cam Newton being his all-time favorite player (with respect to the close second, Steve Smith). If you ever meet Zachary, prepare to hear all about how underrated Newton was and how he single-handedly dragged the Panthers to Super Bowl 50.

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