A trio of top-line Edmonton Oilers will be missing from action Thursday.
The names are familiar – Darnell Nurse, Viktor Arvidsson, Zach Hyman – as they’ve either been out of action for a while or it was recently obvious they could miss time.
Nurse was the victim of a head hit by Toronto Maple Leafs heavy Ryan Reaves on Saturday. The National Hockey League promptly suspended Reaves for five games as a result, while Nurse – who had been playing well for an inconsistent Oilers squad – missed games Monday and Tuesday.
Oilers head coach Kris Knoblauch told media Thursday after the team’s morning skate before their evening game against the visiting Minnesota Wild (7 p.m.) that Nurse could return Saturday against the New York Rangers.
Nurse told media he’s ready to move on from the controversy surrounding the hit – although he did offer that, while the onus is on him …