CAMP: Nurse relishes shutting down the NHL's best

EDMONTON, AB - Defence first, the rest will come.
That was the responsibility that had been instilled in Darnell Nurse as he began his ascent into one of the premiere shutdown defencemen in the game.
"As a player, we have a very clear view of what we need from Darnell Nurse in order to be a successful hockey team," Head Coach Jay Woodcroft said. "We've communicated that to Darnell and he's bought in 100 per cent. We're going to task him to do some very difficult things out there, but we know he's up to it."
"When you have an athlete of his skill set at your disposal, one of the things we try to do with our players is try to give them the tools they need to be successful," Woodcroft added. "Part of that is painting a picture of exactly what we expect from them. I think Darnell relished the role that he was given, and as a result, our team responded as well and had a good run down the stretch."
Being asked to go up against the league's best, night in and night out, is a job few defenders in the National Hockey League are capable of doing with the level of success that Nurse was able to achieve last season.
Once Woodcroft was installed behind the Oilers bench last February, he paired Nurse with Cody Ceci as the team's defacto shutdown duo and never really looked back. The Oilers defensive fortunes completely turned around after the change, going from averaging 3.32 goals against per game (23rd in the league) to 2.76 goals against per game (5th in the league).

"What we asked Darnell to do when we eventually paired him with Cody Ceci is to shoulder some of the toughest minutes we could feed him. Tasking him to with the important job of shutting down the other team's best players. If you went to the fancy stats, I think that would show in his quality of competition in terms of who he was on the ice against," Woodcroft said. "I think he, and that pairing, were a big reason we had the success that we did down the stretch. He embraced that form of simplicity. He embraced the challenge of competing against the world's top forwards. When he's playing at the top of his game and he's hard to play against, I think he's one of the best shutdown D-men in league."
It's not a glamorous role that racks up the points like a first unit powerplay quarterback, but it's a duty that Nurse shoulders as his responsibility.
"That's definitely the role. I know Ceci has the same mindset. Playing against the toughest competition as the defenseman, it's a lot of fun, but it's not easy," Nurse said. "It's a hard job. Your mistakes are glaring and the things you do well, you usually don't get noticed for, but thankless jobs are like that. For me as a competitor, they're fun to be a part of. So, I'm looking forward to taking that role again."
The Oilers have had a reputation over the last few years as a team that could win a track-meet style of hockey game. Two of the best players in the game have plied their trade in the Blue & Orange during that time, racking up incredible offensive statistics and heaps of individual hardware. However, the defensive side of the game has been a bit slower to come around. Nurse's growth to play in a shutdown style of role just adds another facet to this Oilers squad looking to reach hockey's summit.
"I think my main focus is when you play against high level competition, usually if you're able to shut them down with the firepower that we have you're going to have a good night and our team's going to have a good night," Nurse said. "I've been here for long enough, It's all about team success. Defending is the one area that we haven't improved at the same rate as we have offensively. And for me, that's a focal point."

By taking on the burden of shutting down zone entries and directing the puck back towards the opponents goal, Nurse has allowed the Oilers stars to do what they do best. After Woodcroft took over and made some tweaks to the team's defensive system, it wasn't only Edmonton's defensive metrics that improved, but their offensive output did as well.
The Oilers averaged a half goal per game more during the regular season after Woodcroft took the reigns. Nurse believes the attention to defence helped spark the Oilers offensive uprising.
"A lot of times in my position, if you can skate, the offense comes from playing good defense, as cliche as that sounds," Nurse said. "Being in the right spot, breaking up the right play with the firepower that we have, the chances this will come. So that's one thing I'm learning now you just got to balance it to you with our group. If you get yourself to the right position, there's always going to be chances there to be had, and you just got to capitalize on them.
On the ice, Nurse's offensive production stayed remarkably consistent with his career averages, despite being asked to shoulder a high-level defensive burden under the Oilers new coaching regime. His 0.12 goals per game was nearly identical to the 0.11 mark he had averaged prior to last season, while staying on his typical 40 point pace on the season.
The Oilers were generally the better team when Darnell Nurse was on the ice, despite being deployed for the toughest matchups. Nurse finished first among Oilers defenders - excluding Brett Kulak's 18 games -- in xGF% (expected goals for percentage) with 54 per cent.
"That starts in the defensive zone, because if you're hemmed in your defensive zone and not breaking up plays or, you're tired from spending a full shift in the D zone, those offensive opportunities aren't going to come," Nurse said. "So, when I say it starts with defence, it honestly does because being able to minimize the amount of time that you spend in your own zone and being able to break up enough plays in the neutral zone and in transition, that is a demand playing in those situations. That's where you're going get your most offense."

Although Nurse was playing tougher minutes in the latter half of the season, he was actually playing fewer minutes overall. The ddeclin ein minutes was by Woodcroft's design, and a result of playing with seven defencemen several times down the stretch. Still, Nurse finished fourth in the NHL in average even strength time-on-ice with 21:08 minutes per game, trailing only Ottawa's Thomas Chabot, Nashville's Roman Josi, and St. Louis's Colton Parayko - while leading all Oilers defenders by nearly three-minutes per game.
One reason Nurse is able to log so many minutes is the shape he comes into the season. Nurse is annually one of the Oilers fittest players and this year's camp was no different, despite Nurse entering the offseason later and in a compromised state.
Nurse was injured in a late season game against the Colorado Avalanche back on April 22. The defender missed the remainder of the regular season, but still came back to play 21:07 a night in the playoffs on what would later be revealed as a torn hip-flexor.
The 27-year-old still finished the postseason with six points (2G, 4A) and a plus-5 rating in 15 games as the Oilers toppled the Kings and Flames on their way to the Western Conference Final.

"Yeah, it was a different kind of summer. A little more rehab. I usually like to take a couple weeks and then just get back after it," Nurse said. "I was able to get in the amount of work I needed to show up here in in good shape and I'm looking forward to the start of season. I'm feeling like I usually would going into training camp."
The work that Nurse put in during his rehab was definitely noticed by his coach.
"He didn't get as much time working out or skating as he normally has yet he shredded our physical testing," Woodcroft said. "I think he's poised to have a good season."
The final area where Nurse is looking to take the next step is as a locker room leader. Since Duncan Keith announced his retirement, the Oilers blueline has a significant void in the leadership department.
"I don't want to put too much pressure on Darnell, but in terms of his experience on the back end, I think not having Duncan Keith as a member of our D-core changes the complexion of our D-core," Woodcroft said.
Just as Nurse stepped up when Woodcroft needed a shutdown defender, he is willing to do the same as a veteran voice in the Oilers room.
"As you grow and have more experience in the league, you got to be more aware of what's going on around you," Nurse said. "Help guys out when they need help and stay away when they don't need help. There's a tricky balance in this league of finding confidence and keeping confidence, and as a young guy, sometimes when an older guy comes and gives you a pat on the back or says you're doing something well, it goes a long way."