Nurse’s patience during injury rehab paying off
Darnell Nurse had a mere 87 NHL games experience when he injured his ankle this past Dec. 1 in Winnipeg. He was still adjusting to the pace and style of the NHL, and often his raw skill and athleticism allowed him to get through games with success, but then the injury occurred and he missed almost three months and 37 games.
He worked hard to get back and returned to the lineup two weeks ahead of schedule on Feb. 26 in Nashville. He wasn’t as aggressive early on, but in the past few weeks, we’ve seen Nurse become much more involved with the puck and engaging in offensive zone rushes.
“I think he is one of the best transporters of the puck on our team,” said Oilers head coach Todd McLellan. “The long skating where he has really built some pace, entering the zone and making plays off of it. There are other D who take three or four strides and deliver (the puck), he has the ability to skate with it quite well.
"With his ankle injury it is hard to get the legs going again, and I get the sense he is really settling in now and he’s played enough to feel good about himself. He’s added a new dimension for us from the back end.”
Nurse attributes his new puck carrying assertiveness to being confident again.
“Sitting out, you get a better perspective of the ice and I realized I can use my speed more often,” Nurse said of his puck-carrying prowess. “At the same time for me, regaining my confidence, believing I can do something that I’ve always done since I’ve been young has helped. One of my better tools is my skating, so having the ability to use my skating and then making better decisions with the puck has helped. I need to keep improving, because I believe I can still add more in that area.”
Returning after a three-month hiatus is difficult for veteran NHLers, never mind a sophomore, and Nurse admitted it took him a few games to feel comfortable on the ice again.
“It took a little bit of time, and that’s just having confidence in your ankle,” he said. “For me, that was the big thing. Just being confident it wasn’t going to go anywhere. Obviously, with all the rehab and training we did when I was out it didn’t feel very far off when I came back, but I knew there was another gear to reach and it took me a few weeks to find it. I’ve noticed it has felt a lot better these last two weeks.
“I’m trying to make plays now. Obviously, if you get the puck to the right areas with our team, we’re very dangerous. With my
speed, I feel like it is something I can use to get around D-men, and obviously, I’m a pretty big guy so I can use my body and my strength to get it there.”
Nurse spent his 22nd birthday, Feb. 4th, rehabbing his ankle and said it was tough to sit out that long, but his renewed confidence combined with more experience has him ready for the playoffs.
“When games are heavy and hard and there’s a lot of emotion, those are my favourite games to play in. We have many guys who like to play that style and I’m one of them. I like to go out there and play that hard, in-your-face game. I feel like with that type of hockey coming up, it’s going to be a lot of fun. I’ve never been there before, so there might be a little bit of an adjustment, but I’m looking forward to getting to the playoffs and just playing hard,” said Nurse.
Unlike many previous young Oilers, Nurse didn’t have to wait very long to taste the playoffs. He’ll have 116 NHL games under his belt when the post-season begins on April 12, and with a rebuilt ankle and a belief he can help create plays offensively, he is hoping to be more than just a reliable, stay-at-home defender.
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