Oilers’ Darnell Nurse played with torn hip flexor during Stanley Cup Playoffs

It was clear that Darnell Nurse was playing through an injury during the Stanley Cup Playoffs — and the Edmonton Oilers defenceman confirmed as much after his team’s elimination.

Nurse revealed that he was playing with a torn hip flexor following the Oilers’ 6-5 loss to the Colorado Avalanche in the fourth and final game of the Western Conference Final.

Nurse said that he suffered the injury in the final week of the regular season and was trying to play through it in all three series.

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“Our medical staff… taped it up, gave me some anti-inflamm’s and away you go,” Nurse said. “There’s no excuse when you get to this point in the season. You want to be on your game and play at a certain level. There’s no excuse. Everyone’s banged up this time of year. And myself personally, I wanted to be better in this series. It’s just added motivation for summer to come back and be a difference-maker next year.”

The only game the 27-year-old missed during the playoffs was the one he was suspended for after headbutting Los Angeles Kings forward Phillip Danault.

After averaging 25:03 of ice time in the regular season, Nurse was down to just over 21 minutes a night in the playoffs as the team tried to manage the fact that he was not 100 per cent. He finished with six points in 15 games in the post-season and led all Oilers defencemen in ice time playing 20:18 in Game 4.