Darnell Nurse braces for 'weird' first game against Oilers
The Sharks defenceman faces the team that drafted him in San Jose on Saturday, three months after being traded away after 12 seasons.
What's newZach Hyman returned to practice Friday, while Filip Hallander could make his Oilers debut against San Jose.
Darnell Nurse will face the Edmonton Oilers for the first time on Saturday (4 p.m. ET), and the San Jose Sharks defenceman says he is treating it as a game to win, not a reunion.
The Oilers were also practising in San Jose on Friday. Nurse said he planned to catch up with his old teammates that night, with a condition attached.
"I'm (going to catch up with them) tonight. Get one of them to buy me dinner, and then when the game starts tomorrow, all bets are off," Nurse said.
San Jose acquired Nurse from Edmonton on July 1 in exchange for defenceman Shakir Mukhamadullin and forward prospect Zachary Sharp. The Oilers drafted him seventh overall in 2013, and he spent his first 12 NHL seasons with the club, including its Stanley Cup Final runs in 2024 and 2025.
He said the lessons from playing in Edmonton are what he is leaning on now.
"One of the best things I ever learned from playing in a market like that is to be mentally tough, to just focus on what you can control and let the rest take care of itself," Nurse said after practice.
Nurse has one goal in four games with the Sharks (3-1-0). It came 1:03 into overtime Thursday and gave San Jose a 3-2 win at the St. Louis Blues. Edmonton arrives at 3-0-1.
Sharks coach Ryan Warsofsky has liked what he has seen from the new arrival.
"He's been awesome," Warsofsky said. "Again, great human being first and foremost. Team guy. He is in great shape. Plays, you know, with some snarl and some attitude, but understands what it takes to win at this level."
Nurse admitted the night will feel unusual, but he sounded more interested in the matchup than the nostalgia.
"It'll definitely be different. (You) practice against each other for a long time, so (it's a chance) to be able to lace up and do it for real."
Edmonton's Friday practice also brought Zach Hyman back onto the ice with the group for the first time since his injury in the season opener against Vancouver. He rotated at right wing on the second line with Kasperi Kapanen, but no return date has been set, the Oilers reported.
Filip Hallander could make his Edmonton debut against San Jose after practising with Jason Dickinson and Kapanen on Friday. The recently acquired forward will wear No. 19; coach Mike Babcock described Saturday as a possible starting point rather than confirming his place in the lineup.
