With the NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs reaching the business end, every action is widely scrutinized by the hockey fraternity. Be it the player’s form or the team’s performance, social media is filled with debates on these. One such incident caught the spotlight yesterday. In Game 2 between the Oilers and the Stars, Darnell Nurse was called out for a slash against Roope Hintz of the Stars. Furthermore, he escaped any harsh punishment for his actions, as fans were left frustrated over this.

In the third period, Nurse slashed a penalty which left the Stars’ Roope Hintz in a heap on the ice. Subsequently, he was helped by his teammates to the bench and missed the remainder of the game. It dealt a big blow to the Stars as Hintz had scored five goals in the postseason. In the process, Nurse received just a minor penalty and didn’t face any further action. As a result, fans called out the NHL for being biased toward the Stars.

Stars beat reporter, Lia Assimakopoulos, posted on X, “There will be no further discipline coming for Edmonton’s Darnell Nurse after the slash that injured Roope Hintz last night. The slash was seen as a typical one worthy of a minor, and the league judges based on the action itself, not the outcome.”

Even the Stars’ coach, Pete DeBoer, was left fuming from the incident and called out the NHL for their bias. He said, “Does anyone in this room think if Connor McDavid gets carried off the ice like that, that it’s not a five-minute major?” The fans echoed DeBoer’s thoughts as they took to social media to vent their frustration on this matter.

Fans slam the NHL for not penalizing Darnell Nurse

Hintz took a violent blow that left him reeling on the ice and remains a doubtful starter for the next game. A fan wrote, “The rule specifically states that a major is assessed if it RESULTS in injury…aka the outcome. Hockey journalists are aware of this and should be calling the @NHL out on it.” The fan wanted the hockey community to rally against the NHL over this incident, considering Darnell Nurse’s slash did result in injury.

Similarly, another fan felt that the NHL was being biased toward the Stars and giving preferential treatment to the Canadian teams. “Of course it was. The @NHL hates Dallas, just like all the other league offices do. They will do everything they can to manipulate a Canadian team into the finals,” the fan said, as he felt that the NHL wanted a final between a Canadian and an American team.

Further, another fan warned the NHL not to wait for the worst outcome to give a penalty. While it could become too late one day, the fan revealed, “The same league that waits to see if blood is drawn to judge an action’s outcome?” Although the Nurse-Hintz incident didn’t look as bad as the fan described, it deserved more punishment than a minor penalty, according to the fan.

Meanwhile, another fan wondered what would have been the result if McDavid had taken the hit. “Fine then it’s time to return the favor and do it to McDavid prove that the Department of Player Safety is full of hypocrites when they suspend Bischel for doing it to McDavid,” the fan commented, as he called out the bias in the NHL. Lastly, another fan felt that Hintz could probably return in the next game as Nurse didn’t receive any punishment for his slash. The fan said, “Cool so this must mean that Roope did not sustain an injury as the result of the slash and will be available for Game 3 tomorrow?” It remains to be seen if Hintz is able to return in Game 3.

Yesterday, the Oilers chalked up a dominating victory, winning the game 3-0. With this, the series is tied 1-1 and is entering an exciting phase. The third game takes place later today, and both teams will go all out to take the lead.