NHL Buzz: Nurse expected to return for Oilers against Rangers

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Edmonton Oilers

Darnell Nurse is expected to return for the Oilers against the New York Rangers on Saturday (10 p.m. ET; CBC, SN, CITY, MSG).

The defenseman, who has missed the past three games, skated with his teammates Thursday for the first time since sustaining a head injury at the Toronto Maple Leafs on Nov. 16.

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-game suspension from the NHL Department of Player Safety for an illegal check to the head.

"We're anticipating he's ready to play tonight," Oilers coach Kris Knoblauch said Saturday. "First of all, he plays 22-25 minutes every night. He's good at transporting the puck, getting it out of the zone and then the biggest thing is how much area he covers defensively. To play against him, there's not much room, one, because of his quickness and then two, his reach. And if you do get into a battle with him, he's incredibly strong that he can push somebody off the puck, so he's difficult to play against.

"He's important for us and he's good with the puck and when we don't have him, we definitely miss him."

Nurse has nine points (two goals, seven assists) in 18 games this season, averaging 20:49 of ice time per game.

"He'll be fresh, and he plays big minutes and he's a big part of the team," Oilers defenseman Brett Kulak said. "It's not just like calling someone up and slotting him in for some minutes; he's a big part of the team and everything kind of happens around him, so it'll be good to have him back. … it's just a different dynamic without him in the lineup. He's a valuable player and he does a lot of good things." -- Derek Van Diest

Toronto Maple Leafs

Max Domi will miss his second straight game because of a lower-body injury when the Maple Leafs host the Utah Hockey Club on Sunday (7 p.m. ET; TVAS, TSN4, Utah16, NHLN).

"He's still rehabbing," coach Craig Berube said. "He's not ready to get on the ice yet."

The forward, who has six assists in 19 games this season but no points in his past 13 games, had been attempting to play through the injury prior to going on injured reserve Wednesday, retroactive to Nov. 16.

Toronto will also be without forward Matthew Knies, who sustained an upper-body injury in a 3-0 win against the Vegas Golden Knights on Wednesday.

Forward Alex Nylander is expected to make his season debut after signing a one-year contract Friday. He had 12 points (eight goals, four assists) in 14 games with Toronto of the American Hockey League while on an AHL contract. He skated at right wing on a line with left wing Nikita Grebenkin and center Fraser Minten at practice Saturday.

Nylander had 15 points (11 goals, four assists) in 23 games with the Columbus Blue Jackets last season after he was traded there by the Pittsburgh Penguins on Feb. 22.

"It was amazing yesterday, such an incredible feeling," Nylander said. "Just really happy and excited about being here and being ready for the game tomorrow… I know what I can do at the NHL level, I had a really strong finish with the Columbus Blue Jackets last year and just have to build off that, get better every day. It all starts with working hard every shift and the rest kind of comes by itself when I do that." -- Dave McCarthy

Vancouver Canucks

Brock Boeser returned to practice wearing a noncontact jersey for the Canucks on Friday.

The forward left a 4-2 win against the Los Angeles Kings on Nov. 7 after being hit by Tanner Jeannot midway through the first period. He has missed the past six games.

"He had a noncontact practice today so that's protocol," coach Rick Tocchet said. "We'll see how he is [Saturday]. He's not going to play [Saturday], but it's day to day. I think he had a good day today but once you add contact, then you've got to make those other decisions."

Boeser has 11 points (six goals, five assists) in 12 games this season.

The Canucks (9-6-3) visit the Ottawa Senators on Saturday (7 p.m. ET; CBC, SN1, SNP, TVAS2) to start a six-game road trip that will continue at the Boston Bruins on Tuesday.