Lawson’s Debut Soured in the Shootout

In his fourth season as a pro, 27-year-old Islanders prospect Nathan Lawson was unexpectedly offered his NHL debut in Saturday night’s game against the Phoenix Coyotes. With Rick DiPietro suffering from some swelling in his knee, Lawson was recalled on an emergency basis Saturday morning and got the call over Dwayne Roloson.

“It’s a big opportunity,” Lawson told Islanders reporters before the game. “I’ve been waiting my whole life for this, so I just need to have fun with it, take everything in as it is, go out there, have fun and play my game.”

Maybe one of the reasons Lawson was pegged with the start had to do with Islanders interim head coach Jack Capuano. His familiarity with Lawson in Bridgeport over the last few years may have given the organization the confidence needed to make the surprise decision on Saturday morning.

“He’s a confident kid for sure,” Capuano said to Islanders reporters before the game. “He’s a competitor. He works at his game and he’ll compete at a high level. He’s got a good personality about him. He’ll lighten up the room a little bit, and like I said, he’s a confident kid in a good way. He’ll be a good teammate, he’s a character guy.”

Lawson’s positive and animated character was on display throughout the game, as he comfortably stopped 32 of 35 shots in regulation, including six of seven power play shots. But he relinquished a 3-2 lead with just 1:28 remaining, and then allowed all three Coyotes shot attempts in the shootout. The 4-3 loss soured a quality debut from Lawson, who showed his frustration after the game by snapping his stick against the right goal post and storming off the ice.

“Up until about a minute and a half left in the third, it felt really good,” Lawson told NHL.com correspondent Brian Compton after the game. “I’m pretty disappointed in that last goal. It’s a stepping stone. We got one point, so just take the positives, I guess. It felt like another game for me. I’m just real disappointed in losing.”

The loss was a jagged pill for Lawson to swallow, but his demeanor, technique and overall compete level reflected a lot of positives from a development and depth perspective. As such, a lot of credit goes to the Islanders for giving him the start, the exposure and the experience at his age. So let’s take a look at how he played and then dissect some of his strengths and weaknesses.

—–[ GAME NOTES ]—–

Lawson successfully stopped his first NHL shot by stepping out to challenge and absorb a routine wrist shot from Adrian Aucoin just 1:29 into the game. Two minutes later, Lawson made a terrific left shoulder save off a Derek Morris shot and continued to settle into the game nicely.

Lawson’s first goal against came on a Coyotes power play at the 6:57 mark. Shane Doan’s wrist shot from just inside the blue line deflected off Radim Vrbata’s leg and then re-directed past Lawson. His glove pulled away from his hip in a natural reaction, but the puck projected to the inside and slipped six-hole. It was an unlucky bounce and difficult deflection to track.

Despite giving up a goal on a shot he couldn’t accurately track or see clearly due to a screen, Lawson stayed calm and focused on tracking the puck. He made two routine stops after giving up the goal and finished the first period with seven saves on eight shots. I saw no signs of negativity or dejection and he maintained a positive attitude.

To start the second period, Lawson was challenged by a hectic goal mouth scramble at the three minute mark. He had to hold firm deep in his crease and stay upright while Coyotes players hacked and whacked away at a loose puck. It was a terrific sequence in which he ended up on his side, sealed the entire goal line and stopped a fourth chance by having his arm effectively stretched along the goal line. It was a great display of his size and strength.

After that sequence, Lawson’s confidence and aggressiveness elevated. He consistently pushed out to challenge shooters and did a great job of getting his feet set a step outside of his crease. More importantly, he did not give up many rebounds. Another sequence revealed his most notable strength – stellar puck moving skills. He collected a dump in during a Coyotes power play in front of his net and cleared it with authority right down the middle of the ice.

The heavier workload in the middle frame allowed Lawson to settle into a very nice rhythm. That led to some of his biggest stops in the game coming in the final five minutes during another Coyotes power play chance. He worked very hard to keep his eyes attached to the puck and was able to corral and control shots as a result. He stopped all 13 shots thrown his way in the middle frame and held a 2-1 lead heading into the locker room.

With the pressure ratcheted up in the third, Lawson revealed a weakness in his game – dropping down too early. On Wojtek Wolski’s goal at the 4:03 mark, Nathan went paddle down to his glove side too soon and then lost track of the puck. Doan’s tricky wraparound behind the net led to him shoveling the puck to the slot on the backhand instead of jamming it on goal. Lawson was unable to read that play and failed to push to his right on Wolski’s wide open chance.

Again, Lawson would stay composed and continue to execute in the same fashion as the second period. He was not rattled mentally by the goal and he did not allow the pressure of a close game to impact his execution. Even when Jack Hillen took a hooking penalty with 4:44 left in the game, Lawson continued to fight for his sightlines and stayed true to his style and killed the penalty.

But with 1:28 remaining in the game, Lawson was victimized by another deflected shot from the point. This one was fired by Keith Yandle and then re-directed on goal by Vrbata. Nathan made the original stop, but the rebound fired off to his left, forcing him to recoil, track the puck and push laterally back to his left. He made one solid push, but instead of staying upright for a second push, he sprawled into a two-pad stack and was beat over the pad by Martin Hanzal.

“I think it kind of got tipped and it was just coming kind of soft and I just tried to kick it out,” Lawson said to NHL.com correspondent Brian Compton. “I saw that guy coming in. I just made a poor decision on a save selection there. He just beat me with it. It’s inexcusable.”

So despite 32 quality saves in regulation, Lawson’s frustration from allowing a late goal seeped into his subconscious heading into overtime. Michael Grabner took a delay of game penalty with 11 seconds left and forced the Islanders to kill a 4-on-3 man advantage for the first 1:49 of overtime. Lawson received a lot of luck when Vrbata and Doan both hit posts during their power play chance and he finished with three OT saves to push the game into a shootout.

DOAN – Lawson simply does not challenge enough, so Doan skates in, makes a deke and then beats him with a quick snap shot five-hole. Lawson was caught too deep in his crease by the time the shot was released.

VRBATA – Comes in and shows patience by holding the puck, which forces Lawson to sink deep in his crease. Vrbata pulls it to his backhand and beats him over the blocker. It was a good push across, but a better shot.

TURRIS – Comes in slowly, puts the puck off his right skate, punches it back to his blade and then rips it right over Lawson’s glove. In frustration, he slams his stick against the right post, breaks it and then skates directly off the ice.

—–[ SCOUTING REPORT ]—–

Despite being picked apart in the shootout, I consider Lawson’s NHL debut as a successful outing. I was impressed with his progressive butterfly style and overall composure. He showed no signs of nervousness and did not appear tense in the first period. He made most of his saves look routine and he emitted a calming and confident demeanor. He was economical, poised and prepared, both mentally and physically.

As you know, a goalie’s arm and hand positioning is of utmost importance in today’s NHL. Lawson’s hands were held very tight to his body and a little further back than what I consider optimal placement, but they still remained active. His glove hand was held high enough to compensate for aerial angles, but I would have liked to see it held a little further out and away from his body. But more importantly, his hands were held in an active and comfortable fashion.

Lawson’s overall biometrics and positioning is well-suited for the NHL. He’s listed at 6-foot-2 and employs a slightly wide stance in order to appear even bigger in the crease. He plays slightly deep in his crease, but does an excellent job of challenging shooters and eliminating time and space when needed. I consider him a passive butterfly goalie with a strong sense of reading plays and pushing into pucks. He absorbs a lot of shots and has great rebound control.

Another important aspect of biometrics and technique is a goalie’s balance point. Lawson’s balance is definitely further back on his heels, which lends a hand to his calm style. He has a docile demeanor in the sense he does not over-play pucks or have over-active hands. He has great patience and rarely loses balance. His low center of gravity and tremendous leg strength gives him a solid presence in the net.

When looking at Lawson’s strengths, the most obvious trait is his puck moving skills. It was only on display a few times in the game, but it is a major benefit to his team and one of his best assets. Aside from his poise, patience, rebound control and ability to challenge shooters, I liked his straight back, lateral movement and his crouching ability. On many routine saves, he moved fluidly to either side and reinforced his legs with good hand placement. He also did a good job of incorporating an active stick when making saves down low.

The most visible weakness in Lawson’s debut was his proneness to dropping into the butterfly too early. This happened on a number of occasions, including late in the third period and throughout overtime. He makes very good reads when having to move laterally, but he “bailed” early a number of times.

Another area of weakness is overall foot speed. Because his balance point is further back on his heels and he’s a passive goalie, he will need to work on actively engaging his inside edges and getting quicker at his overall butterfly recovery if he wants to thrive in the NHL.

The final area of weakness at the NHL level is his inability to rotate his hips while down in the butterfly. This is an important aspect of keeping the lower portion of the ice sealed when giving up a rebound and effectively sliding laterally on his knees. Instead of rotating his hips and then pushing, he would try to recover to his feet, which brought his knees off the ice and eroded his perfect balance.

On Hanzal’s game-tying goal, a lack of hip rotation could have been the difference between Lawson executing what he called a poor save selection (two-pad slide) and staying upright, ready to absorb Hanzal’s high shot into the chest.

Overall, I was very impressed with Lawson’s game. I was fully aware of his style, assets and strengths, but if there’s one thing I learned, it’s that there’s very little excess movement in his game. He’s much more economical than I remember seeing the last few years.

The most positive aspect from an NHL perspective is that he provided the Islanders with a calming presence and didn’t play like a goalie in his NHL debut. With age comes wisdom. Lawson continues to reinforce his reputation as an underrated netminder that could easily be a full-time backup in the NHL.

If DiPietro continues to suffer minor setbacks and swelling, Lawson could get a few more chances with the Islanders this season. The word could spread quickly that he’s an underrated goalie and he could find a backup role for next season. He’s certainly capable of stepping in and providing a calming influence for 15-20 games.