Edmonton Oilers defenseman Darnell Nurse was suspended one game by the NHL Department of Player Safety on Tuesday night for cross-checking Los Angeles Kings forward Quinton Byfield.

He’ll miss the Oilers’ regular-season finale at San Jose on Wednesday night but will be eligible to return to Edmonton’s lineup for Game 1 of its first-round Stanley Cup playoff series against the Kings.

Nurse had been suspended three times and fined once in his 716-game NHL career.

The incident occurred at 14:36 of the second period of the Kings’ 5-0 win in Edmonton on Monday, with Los Angeles on a 5-on-3 power play and leading by four goals. Nurse and Byfield battled near the crease as the puck was frozen by Edmonton goalie Calvin Pickard. Nurse brought Byfield down with a headlock and then shoved Byfield’s head to the ice with a cross-check to the back of his helmet.

Byfield left the game and didn’t return. He also missed the Kings’ game against the Seattle Kraken on Tuesday. Nurse received a five-minute major for cross-checking and a game misconduct.

In its ruling, NHL Player Safety said Nurse was in control of his stick and “makes the decision to deliver an intentional cross-check that makes head contact with a player lying on the ice.”

The NHL ruled that the cross-check was delivered with enough force to earn supplemental discipline but agreed with Nurse’s counterargument that the cross-check was not delivered with “exceptional force” on Byfield.

“It is only because of that fact that this incident is not met with much more harsh discipline,” the ruling said.

The ruling is similar to one made in 2023 against Andrew Mangiapane, then of the Calgary Flames, who cross-checked Seattle’s Jared McCann while the Kraken forward was flat on the ice. Mangiapane also received a one-game suspension after a match penalty in the game, with NHL Player Safety citing the force of the cross-check in its ruling.

The Oilers and Kings will meet in the first round for the fourth straight postseason. Edmonton won the three previous series, in seven games in 2022, six in 2023 and five games in the 2024 playoffs.

Edmonton will not have defenseman Mattias Ekholm for the upcoming series against Los Angeles, underscoring how critical it was for the Oilers that Nurse not miss any postseason time.

ST. PAUL, Minn. — Wild coach John Hynes sent retiring goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury out for overtime in what could well be the final game of his storied career, and Minnesota outlasted the Anaheim Ducks 3-2 on Tuesday night in the home team’s regular-season finale.

Fleury, 40, made five saves, fending off a 4-on-3 power play, in the victory. The home crowd erupted when Hynes sent out Fleury, and the netminder was right in the middle of the celebratory mob on the ice after the game.

“It was fun just to go one more time out there and play the game I love,” an emotional Fleury said after the win. “It was cool.”

By forcing overtime against Anaheim, the Wild officially clinched their playoff spot; they will take on the Vegas Golden Knights in Round 1. Filip Gustavsson, who started Tuesday’s contest in net, likely will start all games of that first-round series, with Fleury on the bench.

Though the Wild (45-30-7) certainly could go on a deep run this postseason, it is likely Fleury will end his career having won three Stanley Cups, a Vezina Trophy and a William M. Jennings Trophy. The 2003 No. 1 draft pick also has played for the Pittsburgh Penguins, the Chicago Blackhawks and the Golden Knights.

“I had been sitting there for a few hours,” Fleury said of his preparation to enter the game if called upon. “And Hynsey let me go in, and I’m happy I got to play a bit more.”

The Wild needed some late drama just to get Fleury his overtime opportunity, as Joel Eriksson Ek scored the tying goal with 20.9 seconds left in regulation.

With an empty net for the extra attacker, Matt Boldy‘s pass across the slot set up Eriksson Ek at the edge of the crease. Ducks goaltender Lukas Dostal stopped the first try with his stick, but a second whack at the puck got it across the line for Eriksson Ek’s 14th goal of the season, setting up Fleury’s entrance.

Boldy notched the winner — his 27th goal — with 17.9 seconds remaining in OT.

Fleury’s wife and three children were at the game, just like they were last week when he got his final start and (barely) defeated the visiting San Jose Sharks 8-7 in overtime.

“I feel lucky to have another chance to play in front of them. Get a win, not give up seven goals — that was nice too,” Fleury said. “Hopefully, they remember that time.”

Rookie Sam Colangelo had the go-ahead goal for Anaheim midway through the third period. Alex Killorn also scored, and Dostal stopped 37 shots for the Ducks (35-37-9), who were eliminated from postseason contention 11 days prior.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

ST. LOUIS — Blues forward Robert Thomas left Tuesday night’s game against the Utah Hockey Club early in the third period with a lower body injury and did not return.

Blues coach Jim Montgomery said Thomas was lifted for precautionary reasons and that he thinks Thomas is fine.

Thomas had a pair of assists in the game. The Blues were up 4-1 when Thomas exited and went on to win 6-1 to secure the second wild-card spot in the Western Conference playoffs.

Thomas leads the NHL with 40 points (8 goals, 32 assists) since Feb. 22. He finished the regular season with 81 points (21 goals, 60 assists).