I thought Nathan Beaulieu was going to be a complete bust this year; however, that's not the case.
In one particular play tonight, Vegas came across the blueline looking to dominate the middle of the ice. Beaulieu wasn't having any of that, so he forced the play towards the boards. He broke the play up; however, Vegas was bringing the pressure. Once he gained possession he didn't panic but instead smartly made the play up the boards. Now I'm sure that probably doesn't seem like much but, last year, it was commonplace to see Beaulieu in similar circumstances under pressure making some ridiculous play into the middle of the ice, or panic and have the puck picked off and put in the back of our net. So far this year Beaulieu has been unnoticeable in a good way, and the times I have noticed him, its for the right reasons.