Nurminen Prefers European Style

Finnish right wing Kai Nurminen has struggled to adjust from the European puck-control game to the NHL’s dump-and-chase strategy, and he was benched Saturday at Hartford. Playing Monday on a line with Vladimir Tsyplakov and Dimitri Khristich, whose style is more like his, made Nurminen feel more comfortable.

“I like to play with the Russian players. I played in Finland two, three years with Russian players,” he said, grouping Khristich--a Ukrainian--with the Russian-born Tsyplakov. “I like that style. It’s a little bit different from the Canadian style. . . . Everybody said that I’ve got to be patient, this is a whole different world and you should dump the puck in the corner and not make so many passes. So I try to be patient.”