Darnell Nurse links up with new defensive partner after game 1

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Finnegan Frost
October 12, 2024 (6:03)

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The Edmonton Oilers play the Chicago Blackhawks tonight it was should be an epic battle ofr the second regular season game of the season.

The Edmonton Oilers will be looking for a better effort after last games 6-0 embarrassment against the Winnipeg Jets. With that beng said, Oilers can anticipate a subtle tweak in the lineup tonight as head Coach Kris Kboblauch has shaken things up.

The pairing of Mattias Ekholm and Evan Bouchard is the one constant. Darnell Nurse was skating with Travis Dermott while Brett Kulak and Ty Emberson were paired up
One game is a minimal sample size. The extremely early returns indicate that this formation would be worth exploring.

According to Dobber Frozen Pool, the Oilers out-chanced the Jets in shot attempts when Dermott was on the ice, 16-6. These were his results with both Nurse and Kulak.

The results with Emberson on the ice were mixed. With Nurse, he was out-chanced 6-13. On the other hand, he and Kulak out-chanced the Jets, 5-1, when on the ice together.

Asp per Oilers Daily, Ty Emberson struggled a bit in his first regular season game with the Oilers. Emberson came to the team as a highly touted young player he has only played 31 NHL games. Pairing Emberson with Kulak will give the younger defender more room to play freely and be covered by the safety net of the veteran.

Troy Stecher is still sitting on the sidelines for now, but that may not be the case for long. Out of all the Oilers depth options, Stecher is the most experienced with 494 NHL games. If the struggles on the back end persist, they'll surely turn to get a look at how Stecher can contribute.

As it stands, it may appear that Travis Dermott feels slightly more comfortable playing with Darnell Nurse, but Dermott seems to perform well anywhere Knoblauch deems fit. You can watch tonight's game on sports net or tune into 880 CHED for live action audio.