Goaltenders Jacob Markstrom of the Calgary Flames, Juuse Saros of the Nashville Predators and Igor Shesterkin of the New York Rangers have been named the finalists for the 2021-22 Vezina Trophy.
The award is given annually to the goaltender “adjudged to be the best at his position,” according to the NHL. They all are first-time finalists.
NHL general managers vote for the award.
Markstrom, 32, had a 37-15-9 record with a 2.22 goals-against average and a .922 save percentage. He had a league-leading nine shutouts in 63 games, after recording just eight in his 315 career games prior to the 2021-22 season. Three of this season’s shutouts came in a four-game span in October.
The 27-year-old Saros took over as Nashville’s starting goalie this season following the retirement of Pekka Rinne. He started 67 games and posted a 38-25-3 record while he led the league in total ice time with 3,931 minutes. He had a 2.64 GAA and .918 save percentage with four shutouts on the regular season.
Shesterkin, 26, had a league-leading 2.07 GAA and a .935 save percentage to go with a 36-13-4 record. He had six shutouts in 52 appearances as the Rangers finished with 110 points (52-24-6) – their third-highest total in franchise history.
Saros and the Predators were eliminated from the Stanley Cup playoffs by the Colorado Avalanche on Monday. The Rangers trail the Pittsburgh Penguins 3-1 in their best-of-seven, first-round series, while the Flames and Dallas Stars are knotted at 2-2.
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