Darnell Nurse should be back soon from injury, but was his injury and absence a red flag for the Edmonton Oilers?

Darnell Nurse appeared to send a message to the Maple Leafs enforcer on Saturday night.

The Oilers defenceman was helped off the ice vs. the Maple Leafs after taking a hit to the head from Ryan Reaves.

Darnell Nurse, who played his first game back since being the victim of a scary headshot last weekend, was among the Oilers who impressed the most. The veteran defenceman looked better than ever as he sniped home a shorthanded goal in the first period courtesy of a beautiful assist from Mattias Janmark.

The Oilers are anticipating defenseman Darnell Nurse, who has been absent after Ryan Reaves' dirty headshot, to play on Saturday night.

Nurse was hit by Maple Leafs forward Ryan Reaves 2:41 into the second period of a 4-3 overtime loss. Reaves received a five-minute major for checking to the head and was suspended five games by the NHL Department of Player Safety on Sunday.

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The Edmonton Oilers will be without key players Darnell Nurse, Zach Hyman and Viktor Arvidsson for tonight’s matchup against the Minnesota Wild. Head coach Kris Knoblauch confirmed that Hyman is expected to miss 4-7 days due to injury.