The Stanley Cup Playoffs are another day closer and we are another day nearer to picking the 2015-16 award winners! Of course, that means we have time to make our cases for those deserving of the NHL’s array of awards given out at the end of each season.
In a year of phenomenal goaltending, the NHL’s netminder of the year remains a hard choice
Once thought to be an open and shut case, the Vezina Trophy race has heated up.
Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports
Yesterday, we took a look at those in the conversation for the Jack Adams, a deep race with no clear No. 1 pick for the award. The Vezina Trophy has quite a similar problem, though if you had stopped this past season around January there would have been only one choice for this award.
However, one outstanding half season does not make a Vezina Trophy winner. Or does it?
Frontrunners
With 48 victories this season, Holtby tied Martin Brodeur for most wins by a goaltender in NHL history. Couple that with an eyebrow raising record of 48-9-7 in 66 starts, the Vezina looks like Holtby's to lose. And lose it he almost might thanks to a pretty huge drop off since January.
However, the record-tying wins may get Holtby over that hump despite that second half slide. Not only that, Holtby's numbers are top five worthy among goaltenders with half a season played. A 2.20 goals against and a .922 save percentage are the second best in his career when he's played more than 20 games. The Capitals can tie a lot of their success this season to Holtby, and one can only wonder what his numbers would have been if not for those few hiccup months.
Another team that can bank some of its success this season on its netminder is Chicago with Crawford. Once thought the clear spoiler to Holtby's parade, Crawford did take a step back with an injury mid-March but there's no doubt he's thrown his hat in the ring with an outstanding body of work. A 2.37 goals against and a .924 save percentage that edges Holtby's in 400 less minutes played finally seem to have busted Crawford out from the "only good because of the defense in front of him" narrative. Add onto the fact he has the third-best even strength save percentage at .933, according to Corsica, and you've got yourself a case for the Vezina.
Bishop leads all NHL goaltenders who have played over 50 games in a pair of important categories. With a .926 save percentage and a 2.06 goals against, the Lightning netminder has put up a career year in both statistics while throwing up six shutouts on the year. If the Vezina was handed out based on raw numbers alone, Bishop's stellar stat line would easily make him the No. 1 candidate.
The mantle for the greatest body of work this season falls on the shoulders of Quick, who has started 68 of 82 games this season. In that time, his save percentage and goals against are top 10 worthy and his 40 wins are second only to Holtby. Not only that, Quick is the only goaltender this season to hit over 4,000 minutes played while facing the fifth most shots in the league. A .918 save percentage and 2.22 goals against are respectively his second and third best numbers of his career.
Dark Horses
A dark horse not just in the Vezina talks, but also because of his performance based upon his age. Luongo is 37 years old and has put the Panthers on the map for potential playoff success. Not singlehandedly, of course, but more so than any of the goaltenders mentioned, Luongo has helped his team get to where they are now. His .922 save percentage and 2.35 goals against are incredible considering the shelf life of a starting NHL netminder rarely trends towards 40. Luongo is top 10 in games played and tied for fourth overall with 35 wins on the season.
It's a strange world indeed that San Jose is back on the goaltending map after sending Antti Niemi to Dallas. However, it seems the Sharks have found something in 26-year-old Jones. Tied for fifth in games played with 65, Jones has played more games this season than his first two years in the league combined. Not only that, he's tied for second with six shutouts and has the third most wins behind Holtby and Crawford. Though his .918 save percentage lacks a bit behind the favorites, his 2.27 goals against has Crawford and Luongo beat.
And the nominees will be...
Holtby, Crawford and Bishop. General managers vote on the Vezina, making it more likely they’ll stick with the top three goaltenders this season. Holtby has the record-tying regular season wins locked up while Crawford has finally emerged out of the spotlight of a deep Blackhawks team. Bishop gets nominated over Quick based on the statistics, despite Quick’s workhorse of a season.
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