Kris Knoblauch has unfortunately announced that the Oilers' star defenseman Darnell Nurse will not be playing tonight vs. the Panthers due to an injury. <a href='https://www.sportsnet.ca/nhl/article/oilers-darnell-nurse-day-to-day-will-miss-game-against-panthers/' class='lien_marqueur' target='_blank' rel='noopener'>The Edmonton Oilers will be without star</a> defenseman Darnell Nurse for Thursday's game against the defending Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers, Oilers head coach Kris Knoblauch revealed to the media. <div align='center' class='pl20 pr20'><blockquote class='twitter-tweet' data-lang='en'><a href='https://twitter.com/KatePettersen_/status/1895158969557229840'> </a></blockquote></div> Nurse's status is considered day-to-day, while the nature of his absence is undisclosed, as no further details on his injury have been revealed. Through 55 games with the Oilers this season, <a href='https://www.nhl.com/oilers/player/darnell-nurse-8477498' class='lien_marqueur' target='_blank' rel='noopener'>Nurse</a> has scored four goals and added 18 assists, for a total of 22 points, to sit third among team defensemen in points. Nurse has also registered 40 penalty minutes and a solid plus-eight rating. Originally chosen 7th overall by Edmonton back in the 2013 NHL Draft, the 30-year-old native of Hamilton, Ont., has skated 11 seasons with the Oilers in which he has scored a total of 80 goals and 209 assists for 289 points through 695 career games. On two occasions, Nurse has surpassed the 40-point plateau, including his career-high 43-point finish in the 2022-23 season where through 82 games he scored 12 goals and 31 assists. Nurse has also added four goals and 17 assists for 21 total points through 72 appearances in the NHL playoffs. Nurse is currently in the third year of <a href='https://puckpedia.com/player/darnell-nurse' class='lien_marqueur' target='_blank' rel='noopener'>an eight-year contract that carries a $9.25-million annual average value cap hit.</a> <div align='center' class='pl20 pr20'><blockquote class='twitter-tweet' data-lang='en'><a href='https://twitter.com/HockeyDaily365/status/1857283358360850822'> </a></blockquote></div> <h3>The Oilers have lost their last four game in a row</h3> Now in the midst of a four-game losing streak, the <a href='https://www.nhl.com/standings/2025-02-27/wildcard' class='lien_marqueur' target='_blank' rel='noopener'>Oilers have dropped down to second place in the Pacific Division with a 34-20-4 record</a>, two points back of the first-place Vegas Golden Knights. Thursday's contest against the Panthers marks the second meeting between the two teams this season following the 2024 Stanley Cup Final that saw <a href='https://www.hockeylatest.com/nhl-team/edmonton-oilers/oilers-revealed-to-have-sabotaged-themselves-in-game-7-loss-to-panthers' class='lien_marqueur' target='_blank' rel='noopener'>Florida prevail in a dramatic seven-game series</a>. In their first game this season coming in mid-December, the Panthers came away with a thrilling 6-5 road victory.