Bad refereeing can spice up even the dullest of matches, can’t it? Now the clash between the Edmonton Oilers and the Los Angeles Kings on April 15 didn’t offer much to the 5-time Stanley Cup winners. Their spot in the playoffs is already locked in, and at best, a win might have helped them clinch 2nd place in the division. After all, it’s round 1 of the playoffs that Kris Knoblauch’s men are really preparing for. But after a refereeing controversy reared its head again in the NHL, the Oilers are in real trouble.
Refereeing has been a bone of contention that has affected every team in the league. But the decision that has gone against defenseman Darnell Nurse has left the Oilers fans extremely displeased, especially as it might have implications for the playoffs. But before we get into the fans’ outcry, let’s talk about what went down at Rogers Place.
A 5-0 blowout saw the Kings confirm their home-ice advantage in the first round of the playoffs. But the game became more of a nuisance as penalties and power plays dominated the affair. How so? The Oilers were dished out a massive 53 penalty minutes! As the Kings forward Phillip Danault later complained after the game, their opponents just “have their B squad in trying to hurt us.” And the main instance that became the controversy of the game came in the 2nd period.
Battling for the puck close to the Oilers goal, Nurse and Kings forward Quinton Byfield both came together as Nurse appeared to crosscheck Byfield near the back of the head, and they both went down in a heap, while Byfield stayed down. Nurse was given a 5-minute major and game misconduct, which was confirmed by the NHL officials on video review.
Darnell Nurse received a major penalty and a game misconduct for cross-checking Quinton Byfield pic.twitter.com/SV01EAzB0p
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) April 15, 2025
Quinton Byfield sat out the rest of the game under concussion protocol, and the Kings later confirmed it as an injury to the upper body. On the other hand, Nurse’s eviction meant the Edmonton Oilers finished the game with only 5 defensemen on standby. On top of that, the real kicker is the suspension he is awaiting right now. A ban for more than 1 game will mean the 30-year-old will miss at least the start of the playoffs.
Nurse is important for the Oilers’ defense, with 5 goals and 28 assists in the 2024-25 season. And with the injury crisis they have been dealing with, Darnell Nurse’s suspension for a prolonged period will no doubt affect the Oilers’ playoff chances, especially with defenseman Mattias Ekholm out for the entire first round with injury.
Needless to say, fans were not happy about the incident and the looming suspension, and they’ve been voicing their frustrations about the incident online.
Oilers fans are displeased with the inconsistency in NHL refereeing
Obviously, even the fans are left helpless when harsh calls go against their team. However, Oilers fans have been vocal on X about the Nurse decision. Different viewpoints have been raised. Some are nuanced, some are very extreme, and a few are sarcastic to show that they don’t side with the referee on this one at all. One fan commented, “From this angle that’s a two minute penalty at best.” But to give the referees the benefit of the doubt, they would have been able to view the incident from all possible angles, unlike the fan watching at home. Nonetheless, it’s hard for fans to trust these decisions, considering the inconsistency with NHL referees all season.
Another fan mirrored the above sentiment but in a more aggressive tone: “That’s not even close to a major. Refs are idiots.” It’s just the frustration of seeing your team being on the wrong end of a decision, especially when things are not going well. It was a 5-0 drubbing after all. But more importantly, can they win round 1 with injuries and now a suspension looming over their head? It becomes even harder to accept when similar decisions go against your own team.
And this is exactly what one Oilers fan said: “Yet no penalty on the play that kept Skinner on concussion protocol for 3 weeks….” Goalie Stuart Skinner missed 8 games after suffering a concussion injury in the Dallas Stars game on March 26. Mikko Rantanen ended up ramming into him, knee-first into Skinner’s head. Even with the helmet, the hit left him flat out. With no penalty given, Oilers fans are now feeling left hard done by.
Because one fan thought the Nurse contact was nothing compared to other uncalled penalties. “Soft. Barely made contact. Worse gets done with not even 2 min handed out,” was the opinion of one Oiler fan. Well, something like this happened in the Boston Bruins vs. Pittsburgh Penguins match in early March. The Bruins’ Brad Marchand took such a bad hit from Pierre-Olivier Joseph that the Bruins winger needed a teammate and a trainer to walk to the locker room. But the decision? No-call.
Well, refereeing has been an issue in the NHL all season. One fan complained it was a “dive” from Quinton Byfield. Another said it was just a plain “Weak call” from the referee. But to take it up a notch was this fan who went, “Should have went for a Macho Man elbow drop to give LA fans something to really cry about.” Well. An extreme yet nonetheless understandable opinion.
The general consensus among fans was that there wasn’t much in the cross-check to warrant a major penalty and a game misconduct. Well, it is what it is. Now it’s a waiting game to see just how long Darnell Nurse gets suspended for. And if it’s not just a one-game suspension, they will have to find a way to make things work. Or it’s season over in round 1 for the Oilers.
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