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Vezina Trophy: Five Best Candidates For Best Goalie
Vezina Trophy: This year There Have Been So Many Great Goaltenders Who Have Put Up Dominant Numbers, But Who Exactly Should Win The Vezina? Well, You"ll Just Have to See to Find Out!
The goaltending in the NHL this season has been remarkable. This season, the average goaltender is posting a 2.59 GAA, .914 SV%, and has at least one shutout. Which makes deciding the Vezina Trophy difficult.
But there is a separate pack away from the average, who have defined themselves as the elite class this year. They're having better years than even Carey Price, who I will continue to fight for being the best goaltender in the league. It's just a down year.
But here are the five goaltenders who have proven themselves to be above and beyond the rest of the field. The goaltenders who could find themselves in line for the Vezina.
Sergei Bobrovsky, Columbus Blue Jackets
Mar 7, 2017; Columbus, OH, USA; Columbus Blue Jackets goalie Sergei Bobrovsky (72) (Aaron Doster-USA TODAY Sports)
Bobrovsky is one of the major factors in the Blue Jackets' success this season. They've had a 16 game winning streak that put them in the playoff conversation. They haven't left it. One of the reasons for that streak was the success of Bobrovsky in net.
Bob's already got a Vezina trophy, that he won in 2013. Now, he's on pace to be as good or better than he was that season. He's posting a league-best .932 SV% and 2.02 GAA. He's also won the most games in the league.
The Blue Jackets also owe their season to Bobrovsky. He could be in the Hart conversation, but nobody wants to mention goaltenders in that category this year. The last time a goaltender won the Hart, it was Carey Price. That year he posted a .933 SV and a 1.96 GAA. Bobrovsky isn't matching that this season.
But Bobrovsky has proved himself the best goaltender in every statistical category this season. And he's done it with a young (meaning relatively inexperienced) defense in front of him. Bobrovsky is also top 5 in shutouts this year. He should be well in the conversation and deserves the favorite status.
Braden Holtby, Washington Capitals
Holtby has been living up to his defending Vezina status this year. He's posting the most shutouts in the league and has backed up his performance last year, proving it wasn't a fluke. He's continued to be one of the best goaltenders and has made a serious case for the Vezina.
March 12, 2017; Washington Capitals goalie Braden Holtby (70) (Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports)
The Washington Capitals are one of the best teams in the league in the regular season. Last year they won the President's Cup, in part because of Holtby. Now, they could do the same thing, and again it's in part because of Holtby. In fact, this year Holtby's credit might be larger.
Holtby is second in goals against average and fifth in save percentage. He's posting a 2.03 and a .926, respectively. He's just below Bobrovsky in goals against, and he might pass him before the season is up. Holtby also has 38 wins, again, just behind Bobrovsky.
This is a close competition. It might be closer than in any other race, and it's because both Holtby and Bobrovsky are living up to their Vezina award winning status. They continue to be two of the best goaltenders in the league, even while others like Price and Corey Crawford have down years.
Devan Dubnyk, Minnesota Wild
Devan Dubnyk has kept Minnesota competitive this season. Bruce Boudreau can help make great goaltenders, but considering the fact that Dubnyk has had a great stretch in Minnesota, it might not have been just the Boudreau effect. Dubnyk has continued making a name for himself, living up to the new contract he signed with the Wild.
Dubnyk is fourth in goals against average (where he's tied with Peter Budaj) and save percentage.
Mar 23, 2017; Saint Paul, MN, USA; Minnesota Wild goalie Devan Dubnyk (40) (Marilyn Indahl-USA TODAY Sports)
Dubnyk has been colder as of recent, but before this cold stretch, Dubnyk was even higher in the standings and better than he currently is. In fact, before January, Dubnyk had posted a save percentage below .900 three times in 29 games. Since January, he's done it 11 times in 31 games.
Dubnyk has faded from the Vezina conversation, as Holtby and Bobrovsky have stayed hot. Part of it has been Minnesota's losing streak of recent, but Dubnyk's being much colder has played into it. Still, in the first few months of the season, there weren't much better than Dubnyk and the Wild.
Matt Murray, Pittsburgh Penguins
Matt Murray, as I've said before, deserves the Calder. He's been a major factor for the Penguins, and even with their new defense, Murray is a crutch for the Penguins' weak blue line. The fact that the Penguins are contending for the President's Cup is a testament to the ability of Murray in just his first full season.
Feb 25, 2017; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Pittsburgh Penguins goalie Matt Murray (30) (Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports)
Murray is posting the sixth best save percentage and the tenth best goals against average. While that's not as impressive as the three goaltenders above him, Murray's consistency and ability to play more games have put him in the conversation.
The goals-against average is partly because of the weak defensive play in front of him and its proven by the discrepancy between save percentage and goals against average. Of goaltenders with more than 30 games played, Murray is in fourth in save percentage.
Matt Murray has also won 28 of his 44 games and is getting a shutout once every 11 games. That's an impressive track record, and again, he's doing it in just his first season. Can you say rookie of the year?
Scott Darling, Chicago Blackhawks
Mar 1, 2017; Chicago Blackhawks goalie Scott Darling (33) (Dennis Wierzbicki-USA TODAY Sports)
Darling is the dark horse in this conversation, sheerly because of the number of games played versus the rest of the competition. Right now, Darling is second in save percentage, behind only Bobrovsky, and is third in goals against average. Usually, backup goaltenders don't get to these numbers.
And that's because Darling isn't your average backup goaltender. He's somebody who's come into the playoffs in relief and managed to keep the Blackhawks alive in a series versus the Predators. He's a player who's managed to make himself a 1B to one of the ten best goaltenders in the league.
And after this year, Darling is going to get paid like a number one goaltender by a team in need of one. He's 28, and that means that he can provide a reliable goaltender to a young team for years to come. It's just a question of which one – Dallas or Winnipeg? Philadelphia or Vegas?
But right now, Darling is proving himself of being fully capable. And if you ignore a number of games, Darling is a top three candidate for the Vezina trophy. He's stayed hot while Dubnyk has faded. He's been better than Murray all season. And he's been able to come in for times of relief for the Blackhawks, successfully, time and time again.
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