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Niemi, Bobrovsky, Lundqvist are Vezina finalists

Henrik Lundqvist

The NHL has announced that the Rangers’ Henrik Lundqvist, Blue Jackets’ Sergei Bobrovsky, and Sharks’ Antti Niemi are the three finalists for the Vezina Trophy, which goes to “to the goalkeeper adjudged to be the best at his position.”

This is the first time in the history of the league that all of the nominees were both born and trained in Europe.

Lundqvist won the award last season and didn’t suffer a significant drop-off, posting a 2.05 GAA and .926 save percentage in 43 starts. He also finished the campaign with a 24-16-3 record and was a key part of the Rangers late-season push for a postseason spot.

Niemi matched Lundqvist in starts and led all goaltenders in total playing time. His 2.16 GAA and .924 save percentage are the least impressive of the three nominees, but Niemi was arguably the most consistent, putting up solid numbers even during the Sharks’ lengthy slumps.

Bobrovsky is the other extreme. He arguably got off to the worst start of the finalists, but caught fire in the second half of the season and nearly led the Blue Jackets to the playoffs. He finished the season with a 2.00 GAA and .932 save percentage in 38 games. It’s worth adding that he has the potential to become the first Russian-born winner of this award.

Ottawa’s Craig Anderson led the league in GAA (1.69) and save percentage (.941), but likely fell short of a nomination because an ankle injury limited him to just 24 games. Boston’s Tuukka Rask also fell short, but still had a great a 2.00 GAA and .929 save percentage in 36 games.