Why the Nurse-Ceci pair has struggled through the first two games of the second round — and how it could hurt the Oilers' Stanley Cup hopes.
VANCOUVER — Recent history has shown that when and hit a wall, an playoff run comes to a screeching halt. Two springs ago, Nurse and Ceci served as the top pair, taking on the toughest matchups. In the Western Conference final, they saw a steady dose of , and the Oilers were outscored 6-2 at five-on-five with the pair on the ice on their way to being swept by — though, it should be noted, Nurse was playing through a torn hip flexor.
That hesitation gives , the Canucks’ forechecker, an opportunity to rock Ceci with a hit and cleanly win the puck, allowing Vancouver to set up for an offensive zone shift. Videos courtesy Sportsnet In the next play, Ceci is again under pressure. Instead of holding onto the puck and perhaps backhand reversing it to Nurse, on a side of the ice where the Oilers have a numerical advantage, he rims it around the wall where the Canucks have a clear advantage.
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