Dallas Stars head coach Peter DeBoer was frustrated that Edmonton Oilers defenseman Darnell Nurse wasn't assessed a five-minute major for slashing forward Roope Hintz in Friday's Game 2.
"Does anyone in this room think if Connor McDavid gets carried off the ice like that, that it's not a five-minute major?" DeBoer said, according to DLLS Sports' Sam Nestler.
Nurse slashed Hintz on the top of the skates in the third period. The play was reviewed for a potential major penalty, but it was ruled a two-minute minor.
Roope Hintz needed to be helped to the locker room after this brutal slash from Darnell Nurse#TexasHockey | #LetsGoOilers pic.twitter.com/GZggmVOqMM
— Hockey Daily 365 l NHL Highlights & News (@HockeyDaily365) May 24, 2025
DeBoer had no update on Hintz, who left the 3-0 loss and didn't return.
Dallas' Jamie Benn also wondered what the outcome would've been had it been McDavid instead of Hintz.
"We didn't like it. If that was McDavid walking down the tunnel, I would like to see the result of that," the Stars captain said, according to The Athletic's Mark Lazerus.
Oilers head coach Kris Knoblauch refuted the notion that McDavid receives preferential treatment.
"I haven't seen Connor get that special treatment," Knoblauch said Saturday. "The standard is higher for him."
Hintz has five goals and 11 points in 15 playoff games after notching 28 goals and 67 points in 76 regular-season contests.
