Nurse takes simple approach to increased responsibility with Oilers

EDMONTON -- Darnell Nurse has a simple approach when he's on the ice for the Edmonton Oilers.

"I don't want to think too much, just play," the 23-year-old defenseman said. "That's all I've been doing."
He's been doing it a lot more recently, joining Adam Larsson on the Oilers' top defense pair since Oscar Klefbom broke his finger on Dec. 11, relying on his natural skill and not his brain. And that's just fine with coach Ken Hitchcock.
"No think, better play," Hitchcock said. "Get on the bench, sit down, pop back up and go play again. The less he rests, the better he plays. That's Darnell."
Rest has been few and far between for Nurse, who played 28:42 in a 4-1 loss to the St. Louis Blues on Thursday and has averaged 29:23 a game since Klefbom was injured. In the past five games, he's played 30:44, 31:04, 27:50, 27:50 and 28:42, the five biggest ice-time minutes of Nurse's NHL career.
"Obviously there's a heavier workload with Oscar out," said Nurse, in his fourth season with the Oilers.

Oilers captain Connor McDavid said the situation is perfect for Nurse.
"He's played big minutes all his life," McDavid said. "He's a guy that's built for it. He skates well. It's really effortless for him. He's in good shape. He can play big minutes, no problem."
Nurse (6-foot-4, 221 pounds) was already playing substantial minutes for the Oilers with his regular physical style and increasing confidence to make plays. He averaged 22:15 per game last season, second-most to Klefbom's 22:51, and had 13 games with more than 25 minutes.
This season, before Klefbom was injured, Nurse averaged 21:48, fourth-most on the team behind Klefbom (25:54), McDavid (22:43) and Larsson (21:55).
So, the increase in ice time and responsibility with Klefbom and veteran Kris Russell (undisclosed) out with injuries is nearly seamless.
"That's the way I see it," McDavid said. "For a guy like him who's played big minutes his whole life, it's probably easier for him to play those now, rather than come in and play 15, 16 minutes. I think he's been doing a great job."
Hitchcock said the formula is simple for Nurse and his heavy workload will continue.
"We just have to get him out there as much as we can," Hitchcock said. "He's got to play top-three minutes every night if we're going to get the best out of him."

For Nurse, the transition to an even bigger role is not dramatic for him.
"I'm just playing, to be honest with you," he said. "Not thinking much, just playing. Obviously, I don't want to be running around too much, getting myself too tired."
Paying close attention to how some of the League's top defensemen handle big minutes, being wise about conserving their energy during shifts when possible, has helped Nurse.
"I've watched those guys in the summers, watch some of their tape," Nurse said. "There's a time to go, a time to stay back and you've got to be able to be a little more conscious of it when you're playing against better competition. Each shift matters. You have to have the awareness of all parts of the game.
"I can skate forever, it feels like. When you get into the corners and you battle, you probably exert yourself a little more. So, it's about being conscious of it, that when you get into a battle, you don't want to just go jumping into the rush 45 seconds into a shift."
Playing big minutes was the norm when Nurse played junior for Sault Ste. Marie of the Ontario Hockey League from 2011-14.
"I remember our last playoff series when we played Connor, and it (ice time) was up there then, chasing him around," he said. "There are similarities (to junior), but everything at this level is escalated. Everything has a little more intensity to detail. But you don't want to change your game too much, you just want to play. That's how I've been taking it. It's why you work out in the summer, to be able to handle situations like this."
Larsson played with Nurse as his partner last season, when Klefbom missed 15 games with a shoulder injury. He said that familiarity helps, as does Nurse maturing as a young defenseman that's ready for the challenge.
"He's been playing really good," Larsson said. "You can see he's getting a lot of power-play time and that kind of gets his confidence up. He and (Klefbom) are similar players. Nurse is maybe a bit more aggressive, but other than that, I don't think it'll change a lot.
"I played a lot with Nurse last year, too, so I'm familiar with him and that's an easy adjustment. He's got a good defensive mindset and it makes it a lot easier in the D-zone. He's a key guy on this team and we need him at his best and I think he's been playing really well lately."