Yup, I don't see a problem with Nurse on that play. Don't like that he goes down but he takes away the net front drive option of Robertson forcing him into lower percentage ice while defending the late trailer. Skinner can't get beat on that shot.
The Robertson goal in the video I posted is indicative of a guy whose head isn't in the game. There's definitely something going on upstairs with him that's not right. It's bizarre how much his game has fallen off this season and especially in the playoffs, I hope all is well at home with his family and it's just a matter of loss of confidence.
He's where he's supposed to be. And Drai was a good two strides off the guy in the middle. If Nurse doesn't take away the pass, he goes back post completely uncovered and then people would be bitching about Nurse leaving a guy wide open in front instead.
Like Knob says, Nurse plays better when he's going off instinct and not thinking. You know what forces him to think? Covering for errors by his partner and center. There's a reason why the Nurse-Ceci pairing doesn't work.
i get most of the criticism for nurse but that 4th goal is all on skinner, he was light on his post foot and shouldnt have even moved. he was completely sealed on the post and let it go. nurse was trying to block the pass, which even in hintz is open the idea that nurse is there forces robertson to attempt to score and it never should have went in
Even if you want to argue that Nurse did the right thing by trying to block the pass, even though you can see that Draisaitl would have had his stick in position to block the pass even though he was a step behind Hintz, I don't know how you can excuse him freezing for a good 3 seconds at the side of the net with nobody in his area code. That's part of the problem with Nurse, brain freezes and poor instincts.
so Nurse can only play decent when everyone else on the ice is playing perfect? You know how awful that is? Good defenders can cover for their linemates mistakes, Ekholm and Kulak do it constantly.
It was more like 3 seconds if you watch the video which is a long time in a shift where there is danger in the D zone and, yes, he should do something ANYTHING rather than just stand frozen in space while everybody is moving around. He brain froze, that can't happen in a playoff game and especially a game that was tied in the 3rd.
See and the thing is you ask this about Nurse at least a few times a game. Unforced icings, late to react, or getting caught flat-footed.
Why though? Where do you think he should be and who should he be covering in that frame?
I played D and completely disagree. You can’t puck watch while their top scorer makes a play in tight. All he had to do was be aggressive on Robertson right away and Robertson would have to either make a hope pass or take a wide route behind the net.
Both those plays probably have a higher success rate than a shot from a foot below the goal line.
Robertson who was unmarked. He didn't make a motion towards Robertson until he got the puck, had he attacked sooner (and 3 seconds is plenty of time to make that move) he likely could have squeezed him off sooner.
If Nurse heads to the opposite corner to cover Robertson, Hintz has about 30 feet of open ice around him while sitting in the slot. That would be peak levels of Dallas Eakins swarm for Nurse to run over there haha.
He didn't cover anybody, how did he cover Hintz? He was literally frozen while Hintz skated unmarked into the slot which is why Drai had to circle around to chase him. You keep looking at a still frame which reveals nothing and aren't commenting on the actual video.
I'm using frames because you seem laser focused on some silly two second span where Nurse "froze".
Silly? It was a 3 second span when he wasn't doing anything, not getting in the way of anybody, just in space in LaLa Land, I don't understand how this is being glossed over by you.
Drai has to circle back because he isn't covering anyone. He gets to Hintz well after Nurse has forced Robertson to keep it and take it wide.
he should be watching the player to his left if he goes high slot nurse goes to him if he drives the net he has to eliminate him, he cant attack robertson NO ONE IS SUPPOSED TO SCORE FROM THE GOAL LINE
