Edmonton Oilers defenseman Darnell Nurse dropped the gloves with Michael McCarron of the Nashville Predators tonight after his team gave up an early goal.
The Oilers have been off to a very sluggish start to the season, very similar to the way things went last year. It may be a bit early to sound the alarm, but Connor McDavid is already frustrated and is trying to rally his team in an effort to avoid the same fate as last season. That being said, a 1-3 start is certainly not a great look, and if they drop this one to go 1-4, the discussion around the team's struggles will only strengthen. This is likely part of the reason why Nurse was so eager to drop the mitts as he tried to generate some energy for his team.
Clearly, head coach Kris Knoblauch is concerned as well, as he made some major changes to the lineup tonight. Leon Draisaitl, who normally centers the second line, was put on the top line with Connor McDavid in an effort to jumpstart the team's offense, that has scored just 8 goals so far this season, including the one tonight from Brett Kulak.
The Oilers are clearly feeling the pressure as they are handily outplaying the Predators tonight, despite the tie on the scoreboard. Through the first half of the game, the Oilers have outshot Nashville by a margin of two to one, showing just how dominate they can be. However, the Predators have an ace in net with Jusse Saros, who can practically single-handedly change the outcome of many games.
So far, Connor McDavid has just 4 assists through five games. Likewise, Leon Draisaitl has just three points including 2 goals. Those two won't be that quiet on the scoresheet for very long so teams will still have to treat the team cautiously even during this slow start.
