The Edmonton Oilers are in action on Saturday afternoon against the San Jose Sharks, who will face their former defenseman, Darnell Nurse, who was traded to the Sharks over the summer.
However, the Oilers are going to be shorthanded without the presence of a key veteran defenseman of their own, who happened to also play for the Sharks earlier in his career.
Edmonton Oilers Head Coach Jake Walman Won’t Play Against Sharks
According to the latest from head coach Mike Babcock, the Oilers won’t have defenseman Jake Walman available for them against the Sharks on Saturday afternoon.
“Walman has an upper body thing,” Babcock said prior to the game.
In Walman’s place, the Oilers will have Shakir Mukhamadullin, whom they acquired as part of the Nurse trade over the summer, on the blue line.
So far this season, Walman isn’t off to the best of starts, with no points and a minus-three rating.
The Oilers Face Darnell Nurse For The First Time
The Oilers traded Nurse to the Sharks over the summer, and he’ll get the chance to go against his old teammates for the first time on Saturday, but he made it clear he still has plenty of friends in Edmonton’s lineup.
“I’ve got a lot of friends over there,” Nurse said via San Jose Hockey Now. “They’ll be lifelong friends. For me, it’ll be different for sure, wearing a different jersey and being able to play against the team. But I’m really looking forward to the challenge of playing against one of the top teams in our division, and it’ll definitely be different. Practiced against each other for a long time, so to be able to lace up and do it for real.”
As far as trying to slow down the trio of Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl, and Zach Hyman, he’s looking forward to it.
“The three of them have been amazing so far. With the firepower – it’s not just three guys, (it’s) throughout their lineup – that they have, we’ve got to come up with a good team effort and try to put our will on the game,” Nurse said. “Try to come out and bring our energy and bring our force. Anytime you play against some of the best players in the league, it’s always a tough challenge, but one we’re really looking forward to.”
Oilers Lose Veteran Defenseman Before Facing Nurse, Sharks