Fans bash $81,800,000 Oilers D-pair after Quinton Byfield's goal: "Nurse is one expensive pylon", "Bouchard is genuinely useless"

By Abhishek Dilta

Modified Apr 24, 2025 04:34 GMT

Edmonton Oilers v Washington Capitals - Source: Getty — Fans bash $81,800,000 Oilers D-pair after Quinton Byfield's goal - Source: Getty

Fans on social media slammed the Edmonton Oilers' $81,800,000 defensive duo of Darnell Nurse and Evan Bouchard for Quinton Byfield's goal during Game 2.

In the second period, the Kings' Vladislav Gavrikov won a puck battle along the boards and passed to Byfield, who used his speed to skate past the faceoff circle and score, giving LA a 2-0 lead.

Neither Nurse nor Bouchard, who were positioned in the defensive zone, reacted quickly enough to challenge Byfield or disrupt his path to the net. Quinton Byfield easily fired a precise shot past Stuart Skinner.

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One fan on X (formerly Twitter) said:

"Nurse is one expensive pylon out there…."

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Another chimed in:

"Bouchard is genuinely useless."

Here are some of the other top reactions on X:

"I love how Nurse stood there and just let them take the puck," a third fan posted.

"At the very least, split Nurse and Bouchard so we don’t have 2 liabilities back there at the same time!" another wrote.

"Yeah let's blame skinner again everyone! Definitely not on Nurse for staring at the puck after drai made a hit. Definitely not on bouchard who for the second straight game decided to fade into the corner," one opined

"What is Nurse doing on the goal all $9.5 million of a dman who has no hockey IQ and Let’s pair him with Bouchard who is just as terrible as him!!! See ya next year Oilers with the same team cause management is too stupid!" another chimed in.

The Edmonton Oilers trail the LA Kings 5-2 with the third period in play.

About the author

Abhishek is an NHL writer at Sportskeeda with over 2 years of sports reporting experience and a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Delhi. He became a fan of ice hockey after watching NHL fight videos on YouTube, which led to him professionally writing about the sport and his continued interest in all things hockey.

A fan of the Boston Bruins, Abhishek considers their incredible comeback win against the Toronto Maple Leafs in the 2013 playoffs as the most iconic moment in the NHL. His admiration for the six-time Stanley Cup winners also comes from the team’s storied history, distinctive black and gold uniform and their success in the sport. His all-time favorite NHL players are Sidney Crosby and Connor McDavid, for their ability to perform at the highest level consistently.

Abhishek ensures his reporting is fair and balanced by being well-researched in his details, which he expects to be relevant, up-to-date and in line with ethical standards. His specialties are doing detailed match analysis and covering fan reactions.

Abhishek enjoys music, traveling and going on walks with his three German Shepherds in his free time, along with learning about horticulture.

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Edited by Abhishek Dilta