Top 5 Vezina Trophy Candidates

During this two-week break from the NHL, I’m going to break down the major awards that will be given out in June. Today, we continue with the Vezina…

1. Ryan Miller, BUF
The United States’ star goaltender has been lights-out for the Sabres all season long, pushing himself towards the ‘elite’ level among NHL net-minders. His offensive support is pretty inconsistent, and has had to stand on his head in a good handful of games just to give the Sabres a chance to win that night. He sits in the top five in goals against, save percentage, and shutouts; and the only reason why he isn’t leading those categories is his recent dry-spell. If he can turn it on again, he may run away with the Vezina.
2. Ilya Bryzgalov, PHX
If it weren’t for Miller, we’d be talking about Bryzgalov leading this race a lot more. He’s arguably been the best goalie in the Western Conference thus far, and is near the top of the league with 6 shutouts. He and coach Dave Tippett are the two biggest pieces contributing to the Coyotes’ unexpected great success. Bryzgalov has finally proved that he is an upper-echelon starting goalie in this league after previous inconsistent seasons in Phoenix.
3. Miikka Kiprusoff, CGY
Without Kiprusoff, the Flames and Oilers would be jostling for 14th in the West… seriously! ‘Kipper’ has had to steal so many games for Calgary, and is posting better numbers than he has over the last few years. Over a 30-game span from October 31st to January 11th, he gave up more than 2 goals in a game just 6 times (and they went 0-6). Also, for the 5th straight season, Kiprusoff is on pace to start more than 70 games. He doesn’t get talked about as much as those top two to win the Vezina – but he deserves to be.
4. Evgeni Nabokov, SJ
After the first month or two, I don’t think many people really considered ‘Nabby’ as a legit contender for the Vezina. But in November, December, and January, Nabokov carried the Sharks to a 23-4-8 mark, posting a 2.08 goals against and .933 save percentage. His consistency over much of the season is a big reason why San Jose is looking down at the rest of the West. ‘Nabby’ is still seeking his first Vezina, but will have to play like he did in those three aforementioned months if he wishes to unseat the three ahead of him.
5. Tomas Vokoun, FLA
I don’t think any goalie does more with less than Vokoun. He’s gets so little support from his teammates on both ends of the ice, that even one of his defensemen wacked him across head after letting in a goal! Vokoun shares the league-lead in shutouts, and is tops in save percentage. In games where he has played 60 minutes (all but two), he’s faced over 34 shots on average. He’s been so valuable on many nights that he usually deserves one of the ‘three stars’ in losing efforts. I wouldn’t blame him if he wants to leave Florida at the deadline… because he gets little to no help compared to other goalies in this league.