Nurse enjoying breakout season for Oilers

Usually the Game Night Big Match-up newspaper graphic is Connor Mcdavid or Leon Draisaitl against fill in the blanks when the Edmonton Oilers are on the NHL playbill, but in Montreal on Monday we've got the league's two highest goal-scoring defencemen: Darnell Nurse versus Jeff Petry. Like, who knew?

Petry has 11 goals. Nurse has 10. Petry has 80 shots, Nurse has 83.

Shea Weber? OK, nobody shoots harder. But he's got five goals on 69 shots.

While Victor Hedman is likely going to win the Norris because he's the soundest defenceman at both ends of the ice and he has the most points (32), offensively every single one of Nurse's 10 goals have been at even strength and 21 of his 25 points. He's also plus-21, while Hedman is plus-17 on a much stronger team.

Nurse truly has been what the doctor ordered for the Oilers, his Doc nickname aside.

His offensive chops have been latent skill until now at the NHL level after forays up ice as a junior with the OHL'S Soo Greyhounds; he's jumping into the play, with purpose and often.

This really is his breakout season at both ends. He is playing like a No. 1 defencemen and just turned 26. He's played the most minutes in the NHL (869:30).

Nurse's previous high was 10 goals in 82 games in 2018-19, and he has 10 in 34 this season. He is the best combination of skill and toughness from the back end in the NHL, playing 25:34 a game, 10 seconds more than Hedman. Who else has chucked the mitts with Milan Lucic and lived to tell about it without a fat lip?

“Offence has always been part of my game, but it's about being more comfortable in the league now and developing. It's about making the plays I see,” said Nurse. “The evolution of my game is coming together. Playing with Tyse (Tyson Barrie) obviously helps. You see his ability and it's fun to read off him.”

Oilers captain Connor Mcdavid, who played against Nurse's Greyhounds in an OHL playoff series with Erie Otters in 2015, has definitely seen Nurse's growth as an NHLER.

“I don't know if anybody works harder at his game, off the ice, on the ice, video, you name it, he does it,” said Mcdavid. “It's an absolute credit to him and how far he's come. Offensively, maybe that's not his strong suit but it's in him. He's starting to understand certain plays and he's putting them away. It's been fun to watch him grow into the player everyone thought he could be.”

“Darnell's always had an enormous ceiling with his physical ability,” said Leon Draisaitl. “And he's added so many things on the offensive side with the puck on his stick. He's finishing plays, he's setting other guys up. We're very lucky to have him.”

Nurse's shooting percentage this season is 12.0, far better than any other season. He's either got a better eye or he's more selective.

His goal against Winnipeg 's Connor Hellebuyck to tie it 2-2 in the third on Saturday night was a scorer's goal. He blew it by Hellebuyck's glove from the high slot.

“Has Tyson helped Darnell with his offence? Sure he has.

But Darnell has gone ahead in all parts of his own game,” said Oilers coach Dave Tippett.

While Nurse has been roundly cheered for his play this season, Barrie can't seem to escape the critics who also question his defensive ability, even though he's plus-7.

"Tyson makes a lot of good plays out of our end to take the pressure off,” said Tippett.