Darnell Nurse says the key to playing against Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl is being aggressive, and the Sharks defenseman got to test it Saturday.
He also called it odd and different facing his old teammates, according to San Jose Hockey Now.
Nurse logged 21:56 in the 3-1 loss to Edmonton and finished minus-1.
He also put 5 shots on goal, so he wasn't exactly hanging back.
At the top of the lineup, the approach mostly worked. McDavid was held to a single assist, and Draisaitl finished without a point.
That's the problem with this Oilers team. You can take away the two best players on the ice and still lose by two.
Being aggressive against McDavid is like chasing a greased pig at a county fair. You have to commit all the way, because hesitation just gets you embarrassed.
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Darnell Nurse reveals how he plans to defend McDavid and Draisaitl
Mattias Ekholm, Alex Formenton and Vasily Podkolzin supplied the goals.
Podkolzin now has 5 goals, which might be the most underrated story in Edmonton right now.
McDavid still sits at 13 points, so one quiet night won't move the needle much.
Tristan Jarry made 19 saves on 20 shots for the win.
Macklin Celebrini scored San Jose's only goal, while Yaroslav Askarov stopped 17 of 20 shots.
Celebrini now has 6 points through three games, which is why San Jose still feels good about where this is headed.
Nurse carries a $9,250,000 cap hit and has one goal through five games, a game-winner.
The game came a day after his low-IQ comeback aimed at Mark Spector made the rounds.
Edmonton improved to 4-0-1 with its fourth straight win, while the Sharks fell to 3-2-0.
Does Nurse get a better crack at his old team when they meet again on Jan. 13 in Edmonton?
The Sharks host Boston on Tuesday, while the Oilers visit Los Angeles the same night.
Nurse found the right approach for two of Edmonton's stars. The rest of that lineup is the part nobody in San Jose has solved yet.
Did Darnell Nurse and the Sharks do enough against McDavid and Draisaitl?
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