The Stanley Cup Playoffs bring out the best and worst in players, but the ones who can handle the pressure tend to thrive.
In the early part of the Edmonton Oilers‘ series against the Dallas Stars, defenceman Darnell Nurse was taking a lot of heat for his play throughout the playoffs.
Through 16 games, the 29-year-old has three assists but is also a minus-12, leading to the criticism that he wasn’t playing up to his $9-million salary. As Adam Vingan from Sportlogiq wrote earlier in the week, “There is no hiding the fact that Nurse has been a liability defensively during the Oilers’ playoff run.”
When it comes to handling the pressure, no one understands that more than former Oilers star and six-time Stanley Cup champion Mark Messier.
“You got to be able to handle the heat this time of year,” Messier said during an appearance on Real Kyper & Bourne on Sportsnet 590 the Fan. “You’re not going to play great for two months straight, you are going to make mistakes. You are going to hear the consequences of not performing at the level that people expect of you. That’s the nature of the beast and if you can’t handle that, you’re in the wrong business.”
Nurse did bounce back with a strong performance in Game 4 finishing with an assist, 12 hits and three blocked shots, one of which led to the Oilers’ game-winning, short-handed goal in the second period.
Messier believes that the best way for Nurse to overcome the criticism is to not let the noise consume him and play to his capabilities.
“You have to have an unwavering belief in yourself because it is hard. It is hard to be a winner, to be a Stanley Cup champion. For me, the most important thing is that the players believed in me. The reason why they believed in me is because they saw the effort that was put in during the year. They saw the work ethic on and off the ice to focus, the dedication to the game. We all look at each other because we’re all on this journey together.
“If someone is struggling we’re trying to pick him up and help him out. For Darnell Nurse, there’s nowhere to hide. All you can do is get out there and give your best. You have to be conscious enough to understand why you’re not playing well and be willing to change your game at this time of year and what you can do better.”