Against the Panthers, Nelson's shots came from all over the offensive zone. He showed an ability to create a shot lane and deliver the puck from the blue line, like on this play that created a scoring chance for Kyle Okposo at the net-front:
At the same time, he also picks his spots to pinch down low in the offensive zone to sustain possession or create scoring chances. On this play, he cut to the net for a point-blank shot and drew a cross-check in the process:
Nelson made his season debut against the New York Rangers on Jan. 18, and while others have moved in and out of the lineup on defense, he's been a mainstay ever since. He began this season with 19 games of NHL experience under his belt - seven upon the conclusion of his NCAA career late in 2015-16 and 12 more last season - but said he feels like a new player this time around.
He feels his biggest improvement has come in his own end, a jump he made in 37 games with Rochester this season. He led the Amerks with a plus-11 rating.
"I feel defensively, like I've been saying, I can be out there against some of the top players and be good against them," Nelson said. "Just shut them down. I think my plus/minus down in Roch has showed that."
His greatest sources of confidence are the situations when he's found himself on the ice for matchups with opposing teams' best players and held his own, opportunities he relishes. Nelson has been used primarily on a third-pair role, averaging 14:43 per game.
"We play against a few different lines, usually not their top line but sometimes we're out there against them," he said. "You've just got to be confident in what you can do and just shut them down, I guess."
If he keeps playing the way he has been, there will be more opportunities to come.