NURSE MAKING SHOTS COUNT FOR OILERS
If you want to know how Darnell Nurse went from average-looking defenceman to someone who might end up as a finalist for the Norris Trophy this season — and quite possibly, on Team Canada's 2022 Olympic roster — the goal he scored against the Toronto Maple Leafs on the weekend is as good a place as any to start.
Nurse had just taken a pass off the rush from Connor McDavid on Saturday and was in a shooting lane with nothing between him and the goalie. What happened next seemed pretty obvious. And yet, a year ago it wouldn't have been quite as obvious to Nurse.
A year ago, he might have tried to force a pass back to McDavid. Or he might have hung onto the puck while considering all his other options.
This time, he didn't think “pass.” He didn't think. He just took the shot and scored his 11th goal of the season.
“Change the mindset,” Nurse said of that goal. “I was watching my games and I'd get to those high-scoring areas and I would look to make another play or take too long to get my shot off. I kind of wanted to come into this season and when I got myself in a good spot, just let my shot go. I always felt like I had a pretty good shot, but I never used it.”
He's using his shot more these days. A lot more.
Heading into Monday's rematch against the Leafs, only five players had taken more shots on net than Nurse. None of them have found the back of the net more often than the Oilers defenceman, who is tied with Montreal's Jeff Petry in goals scored this season among blueliners.
It took six years and nearly 400 NHL games for Nurse to realize he has a heck of a weapon for a shot. It's taken him just as long to develop all the other tools necessary to become a No. 1 defenceman.
Now that he has, the sky is the limit for the 26-year-old.
On a team where McDavid and Leon Draisaitl are 1-2 in league scoring, it's easy to overlook what Nurse brings on a nightly basis. But without him, the Oilers would not be anywhere close to where they are in the standings.
Nurse ranks in the top 10 among defencemen with 26 points, is second with a plus-22
rating and is fourth in ice time (25:37). He has more hits (79) than Zdeno Chara, more blocked shots (63) than Victor Hedman. He's been doing it all: contributing on the power play, killing penalties and playing in all situations.
This has been the breakout season Edmonton fans have been waiting for since Nurse was drafted with the seventh overall pick in 2013. Ask Nurse, and he'll tell you that he's been waiting for it even longer.
“I've been confident in my game a long time,” said Nurse. “It's just the growth of it and another level I can take my game to. I feel confidence that there's a lot more work to be done and even more that's happening, too.”
There is no timeline on the maturation of an NHL defenceman.
Some, like Cale Makar and Quinn Hughes, are able to jump into the league as rookies and become all-stars. For others, like Mark Giordano and Petry, the journey is a long and winding road.
Nurse falls somewhere in between.
In his first five seasons, he was steady but not unspectacular. Part of it is because he's not one dimensional. With his size and strength, the 6-foot-4 and 221-pound Nurse can make a living moving opponents from the front of the net. But with his skating ability and shot, you always knew there was more to give.
“The NHL is the best hockey league in the world — it's a hard hockey league to play in,” said Nurse. “Especially for a D-man
that's coming into this league, there's a lot of ups and downs and frustrations and happiness they go through. It takes time.”
Slowly, Nurse is putting it all together. In 2017-18, he had 26 points and a plus-15 rating as a defence-first defencemen. The following year, he took off the training wheels and racked up 10 goals and 41 points.
This year, with Oscar Klefbom out for the season because of a chronic shoulder injury, Nurse has stepped up and found a balance that has made him effective at both ends of the ice.
“Coming into the season, I wanted to show that I could be an impact player every night, someone who can be leaned upon on the back end,” he said. “There's a big void that needs to be filled and I wanted to show that I was
capable of stepping into that role and being a presence each and every night. That's where my mind is. It's been good so far. But you have to continue to do it night after night and that's my goal.”
If it continues, don't be surprised if Nurse joins Hedman, John Carlson and Drew Doughty in the Norris Trophy conversation. And with Oilers GM Ken Holland responsible for scouting the North Division for Canada's Olympic team, an even bigger honour could be awaiting him next year. That is, as long as he keeps using that shot of his.
“It's kind of come together a little more now,” said Nurse, who then added: “There's more steps to be made.”