Edmonton Oilers defenseman Darnell Nurse will be sidelined five to 10 days after taking a shot to the head from Toronto Maple Leafs forward Ryan Reaves over the weekend.
"Obviously, there was a big scare there ... since then, he's progressed really well, he's doing as good as he can," Oilers coach Kris Knoblauch told reporters Monday.
Reaves hit Nurse with his shoulder as the latter was attempting to skate out from behind the net during the second period of the Leafs' 4-3 overtime win over the Oilers on Saturday. Nurse was bleeding after the exchange and did not return to the game.
Reaves received a five-minute major penalty for an illegal check to the head and a game misconduct. He was suspended for five games by the NHL on Sunday.
Nurse, 29, has nine points (2 goals, 7 assists) in 18 games this season.
In his 11th NHL season, all with the Oilers, Nurse has 276 points (78 goals, 198 assists) and a rating of plus-69. The Oilers selected him No. 7 in the 2013 draft.