Maple Leafs’ Ryan Reaves ejected for high hit on Oilers’ Darnell Nurse

In the second period of a matchup between the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Edmonton Oilers, the Maple Leafs forward caught Oilers defenseman Darnell Nurse with a high hit, sending the Edmonton blueliner spiraling to the ice.

Reaves was assessed a five-minute major and a match penalty for a hit to the head.

Nurse fell to the ice hard and had a noticeable cut when the team’s training staff was attending to him. He was able to skate off the ice under his own power, but the Oilers later announced that Nurse would not return to the game due to an upper-body injury.

Reaves had played 3:54 in the game across five shifts with no other stats. Nurse registered two shots on goal, one block, and one hit in 7:45 of game action.

It is too early to tell whether or not Reaves will receive any supplemental discipline from the NHL Department of Player Safety. However, the nature of the hit raises questions about whether the 37-year-old will receive a phone call from the league.

Reaves has been suspended previously. During the 2021 Stanley Cup Playoffs, as a member of the Vegas Golden Knights, Reaves was banned for two games for roughing then-Colorado Avalanche defenseman Ryan Graves. He was also suspended for one game in the 2020 postseason for an illegal hit to the head of Vancouver Canucks forward Tyler Motte. In Feb. 2016, during his time with the St. Louis Blues, the Winnipeg native was given a three-game suspension for boarding Matt Tennyson of the San Jose Sharks.

Reaves has played in 16 of the Leafs’ 19 games this season. He has registered just one assist in his second season with the club, averaging 8:07 of ice time.