"What a reckless hit", "Suspend this clown forever": NHL fans irate with Ryan Reaves for massive hit which left Darnell Nurse bleeding and injured

The Edmonton Oilers are battling the Toronto Maple Leafs at Scotiabank Arena in downtown Toronto, but there's already been a hefty bit of controversy in the early goings of the second period.

With the Oilers leading 2-1, hard-hitting Maple Leafs forward Ryan Reaves blasted top Edmonton defenseman Darnell Nurse with a bone-crunching hit on the head. He fell on the ice in distress and was eventually ruled out for the remainder of the game by the Oilers.

Meanwhile, Reaves was assessed a five-minute match penalty for the hit and thrown from the game.

Fan reactions began pouring in, with many of them calling for the NHL Department of Player Safety to hand out severe punishment to Reaves for his actions.

"Suspend this clown forever" one user wrote.

"jesus what a reckless hit... nothing but head contact," one user wrote.

"This is not a good hit but no doubt it goes uncalled if it’s the Panthers or Bruins or Trouba in the playoffs!" another fan added.

"As soon as I saw nurse go behind the net I knew it wasn’t gonna end well, prayers up," one fan wrote.

"That’s an easy 8-15 game suspension. This is absolute textbook headhunting," another fan wrote.

"True punishment would be forcing the Leafs to play Reaves 20 minutes a night for the next 20 games," another fan added.

As Reaves received a match penalty and a game misconduct, it automatically triggers a review from the Department of Player Safety. It's quite possible that Reaves will have to write a check at the very least and even sit multiple games at the most.

Maple Leafs' Ryan Reaves is a repeat offender

Known for his physical play, Reaves has earned three different suspensions during his career. Among his suspensions is being banned for a pair of games in the second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs while a member of the Vegas Golden Knights.

Entering Saturday's game, Reaves had also amassed a total of 1,080 penalty minutes thanks to multiple fights as well as trips to the penalty box.