To overtake Andrei Vasilevskiy in first place in our final regular season standings, Marc-André Fleury had to make a 65-shot shutout last Wednesday in San Jose. He signed a brushstroke, but only 19 shots, which allowed him to climb one step and finish in 3e row, ahead of Juuse Saros.
• Read also: Strengths and weaknesses of goalkeepers
Vasilevskiy therefore succeeds Connor Hellebuyck as winner of the computerized ranking of the Journal. Last year, the podium consisted of Hellebuyck (1is), de Vasilevskiy (2e) et de Tuukka Rask (3e), who were the three finalists for the Vézina trophy won by Hellebuyck.
The vote should be tighter this year, as there are five strong candidates with efficiency ratings of .920 and above. If the general managers favor the wins, they will give their vote to Vasilevskiy, the leader with 31 wins. Semyon Varlamov and Philipp Grubauer share the lead in the shutouts, with seven apiece.
Magic number 1.98
Fleury has the best efficiency rate among the favorites at Vézina with 0.928, but his 6e Shutout of the season could win him the trophy because he dropped his average below 2.00 to 1.98, and that’s a magic number.
His chances of winning the Vézina are as good as those of Vasilevskiy, who was the big favorite not so long ago. That’s the kind of figure that makes your eyes widen, and since it’s probably Fleury’s last chance to win the Vézina, some general managers will no doubt vote for him. Will there be enough on his side? We hope so.
Still, the Vezina seemed to slip through his fingers when his partner, Robin Lehner, returned to the game in mid-March and he was also excelling. Fleury was playing well, but the alternation set in and, at that point, Vasilevsliy was on fire. Grubauer, for his part, missed a few games afterwards, then Vasilevskiy cooled down somewhat.
The bravest: Fleury
Fleury deserves the title of bravest goaltender after his adversity in Vegas because we rolled out the red carpet for Robin Lehner. He is also a candidate for the Bill-Masterton trophy. He also looks great with his golden leggings and the 3e Knights jersey.
Best recruit and best auxiliary
The title of best rookie goalkeeper goes to Alex Nedeljkovic (7e in the ranking of Journal), of the Carolina Hurricanes, leader in save rate (0.932) and goals against average (1.90). He was also the best auxiliary in the league.
Most useful: Saros
Hard to ignore Juuse Saros (4e) as the most useful goalkeeper for his team. He’s the main reason the Nashville Predators topped the Dallas Stars and Chicago Blackhawks in the playoff race.
The best “old man”: Smith
On the eve of his forties, Mike Smith (8e) totally eclipsed his Oilers assistant Mikko Koskinen. It remains to be seen how he responds in the playoffs.
Hatching late
It’s hard to find a better example than Jack Campbell (21e) as a late maturity guardian. Eleventh overall pick for the Dallas Stars in 2010, he finally had a blast with the Toronto Maple Leafs at the age of 29.
Mr. Rubber: Bernier
Against nearly 35 shots per game, our other Quebecer Jonathan Bernier (22e) deserves the title of Mr. Rubber. Connor Hellebuyck is still the iron man with 45 appearances in 56 games, a ratio of 80%.
–
–
–
