Leafs' Ryan Reaves Ejected, Almost Sure to Receive Lengthy Suspension After Scary, Predatory Hit

The Toronto Maple Leafs welcomed the Edmonton Oilers to Scotiabank Arena on Saturday night for Hockey Night in Canada, but unfortunately, with Auston Matthews currently battling an injury, we did not get to see the ever popular McDavid vs Matthews matchup.

Tied 1-1 in the second period, fans who took in Saturday night's Leafs/Oilers game were also witness to one of the worst hits of the season, involving Ryan Reaves and Darnell Nurse.

As Nurse worked his way around the Oilers' net, he was intercepted by a surging Reaves, who was hell-bent on delivering a hard check on the puck carrier. Unfortunately, Reaves caught a little more of Nurse's head than he'd have liked on the contact, sending the Oilers defenseman crashing down to the ice in obvious distress.

When Nurse was unable to get up and the blood appeared, it was very clear that he required immediate medical attention. He would be forced to leave the game and would not return.

Reaves was assessed a 5-minute major penalty for an illegal check to the head, and was ejected from the game. A date with the Department of Player Safety seems like a given here, and should net him a lengthy suspension.

While the intention was simply to get in hard on the forecheck and attempt to cause a turnover, Reaves making clear contact with Nurse's head quickly turned an otherwise innocent hockey play into a scary scene, with everyone obviously concerned for Nurse's wellbeing.

Player Safety often likes to make an example out of the Maple Leafs, so it wouldn't be surprising to see Reaves get an in-person hearing, which would allow for a suspension in excess of 5 games.