Last night in Philadelphia, the Rangers again, struggled to maintain to lead the series. Defeated in game 4, 2-1, they are now tied again at 2-2. New York knows they have their work cut out for them. With Flyers goaltender, a very healthy Steve Mason, making 37 total saves. Marty St. Louis stated in an interview that they made it too easy on Mason. The Rangers seemed to be dominating with shots on goal, but it was Philadelphia who ended up coming out on top.
In the first period, Rangers Dominic Moore scored 12 seconds after emerging from the penalty box after taking a hooking minor. Later in the period, Flyers Matt Read recorded a goal against Lundqvist.
A power play goal in the second period by Jakub Vorecek ended up concluding the game, as the Rangers couldn’t get past Mason for the remainder of the game.
Two very physical teams, not to mention bitter rivals, game 4 was nothing short of an incredibly physical game. Throwing themselves around, the Rangers were getting frustrated. Mats Zuccarello came through with a huge hit on Flyers captain, Claude Giroux, completely wiping him out. Later, Flyers defenseman Nicklas Grossmann was taken out completely by Rangers Derek Brassard. Leaving the game early that night, Grossmann’s injury has not been stated yet.
Flyers Vinny Lecavalier delivered a hit on Anton Stralman, who was slow to get up. Stralman was fine, and continued to skate for every shift.
The Philadelphia Flyers will come back to New York on Sunday afternoon at 12 for game 5.
The Manchester Monarchs kicked off their first round, best-of-5 series against the Norfolk Admirals last night. Strangely, despite finishing atop their conference and earning the number one seed, Manchester did not earn home ice advantage. Apparently due to the distance between the two cities (12 hours by bus), Manchester’s schedule had them playing the first two games at home. The next three games (with four and five being only if necessary) would be in Norfolk.
Game 1 kicked off and it was clear that the atmosphere was one of playoff hockey. The game was physical with a lot of hitting on both sides. Despite not seeing each other much during the season, this was exactly what the Monarchs expected from the series.
With Brian O’Neill out after sustaining an injury at the end of the season, Head Coach Mark Morris had to fill someone in for him on the first line with Sean Backman and Jordan Weal. The spot went to Mike Mersch, a recent addition to the team after completing his four years at University of Wisconsin. He added some size and really seemed to be able to keep pace with his new linemates.
That new line proved that they really were a good fit at 11:38 of the first period. Mersch came flying into the offensive zone and got around the Norfolk defense to get to the puck first. He fed the puck to Backman, who was right in front of the net. Backman put it behind Admirals goalie John Gibson for the first score of the postseason. This was Backman’s first AHL postseason goal. It was also Mersch’s first AHL postseason point.
Manchester continued to control the pace of the game despite the fact that Norfolk led in shots. With less than 30 seconds remaining in the first, the Admirals took the first penalty of the game and Manchester would take that power play into the second period.
The Monarchs skated out with a one goal lead for the second period still on the power play. Despite some good chances, Gibson came up with a few key saves that kept Manchester from getting on the board again.
When Manchester got another power play opportunity, they got another chance to test out their power play. With the shake-up to the lineup, their new first power play unit featured Andy Andreoff, Nick Shore, and Mike Mersch up front with Zach O’Brien as the fourth forward at the point and Brayden McNabb as the lone defenseman. Unfortunately, they were once again unable to convert despite some good chances.
The battle between the two teams really showed off how good the goaltending was on both sides. John Gibson has been a great force both in the AHL and during his 3 games with Anaheim, where he had three wins. Monarchs goalie JF Berube came up huge throughout the game as well. After battling for the back-up position in Manchester to start the season, he has stepped into the role as starting goalie and made it look easy. After a possibly shaking start on the first save or two in his first professional playoff game, Berube went on to make some impressive saves and did excellent controlling the rebound.
At the end of the second, the score was still the same with Manchester leading 1-0. There seemed to be a lot of chances that just weren’t going Manchester’s way. To start off the third, the Monarchs took an early penalty but their penalty kill units stood strong. In addition to Berube standing tall, James Livingston and Hunter Bishop combined for a short handed attempt.
During the third, the Monarchs really seemed to want one more goal to give them a slightly more comfortable 2-0 lead. It was also seemed like Norfolk was playing frustrated hockey, pushing and shoving a lot after the whistles and around the net.
Finally, at 18:40 in the third, the Monarchs got the insurance goal that they had been looking for all night. Zach O’Brien maneuvered around the defenders and fired a shot that went right between Gibson’s legs. It was O’Briens first postseason AHL goal in his first AHL postseason game.
With that goal, Manchester solidified a win in game one, taking the 1-0 series lead. Berube earned the first star with the 30 save shutout, Backman earned second star honors with the game winning goal, and Gibson earned the third star for his 24 saves.
The two teams meet again tonight for game two before heading down to Norfolk to continue the series.
The St. Louis Blues only have to look back to last year’s playoffs, if they are feeling a sense of déjà vu.
In the 2013 playoffs, the Blues faced the Los Angeles Kings, the defending champions, in the first round. The Blues had home ice advantage and took a 2-0 series lead. The Kings then won the next three games to take a 3-2 series lead, and eventually won the series in six games.
This year the Blues are playing the Chicago Blackhawks, the defending champions, in the first round. The Blues again took a 2-0 series lead but the Blackhawks have won the last three games to take the 3-2 series lead. The Blackhawks have a chance to finish off the Blues in six games, just like the Kings did last season. The only difference this season is that Ryan Miller is in goal for the Blues and not Brian Elliott.
Those are just a few similarities between the two series. The Blues won game one against the Kings last year on a shorthanded goal by Alexander Steen in overtime and took the 1-0 series lead. Steen also scored the game winning goal against the Blackhawks. This time it was in the third overtime and again gave the Blues the 1-0 series lead.
In game two last season, Barrett Jackman scored a late goal against the Kings in regulation to give the Blues the 2-0 series lead. This season, Vladimir Tarasenko score with just 6.4 seconds left on a power play with the goalie pulled. Jackman scored in overtime to give the Blues a 2-0 series lead over the Blackhawks.
Jonathan Quick and the Kings got the 1-0 shutout in game three last year, while the Blackhawks and Corey Crawford got the 2-0 shutout this season in game three. In game three against the Kings, the Blues power play didn’t score despite four opportunities. In game three against the Blackhawks this year, the Blues power play had no goals in three chances.
The Kings came back and won game four in overtime by a score of 4-3 in the playoffs last year. This year Chicago also won game four by a score of 4-3 in overtime. The Blues have blown a 2-0 series lead the past two seasons. In the past two years, the series were tied at two games apiece going back to St. Louis for a pivotal game five.
In game five against the Kings, the Blues tied the game at two on a goal by Alex Pietrangelo. In overtime, Slava Voynov scored for the Kings and gave them the 3-2 series lead. In game five against the Blackhawks, Alex Pietrangelo score the game tying goal again to force overtime. This time Blackhawks captain, Jonathan Toews, scored the game winning goal to give the Blackhawks the 3-2 series lead.
The Kings went on to win the series against the Blues last season in six games. The Blackhawks have the series lead going back home and into game six.
Will history repeat itself for the Blues? They will have to wait until Sunday and game six to find out.
Sorry not sorry. It was just appropriate. OK onto the recap.
First period: The LA Kings scored first then the Sharks tied it with 7.1 seconds left. It wasn’t LA’s best period and they were badly outshot for the majority of it before finding life on Marian Gaborik‘s goal. They started to close the shot gap, but San Jose had 17 shots on net by the time they tied it.
Second period: Raffi Torres was whistled for boarding early and on the ensuing power play, Justin Williams‘s sharp angle shot sneaked through Antti Niemi‘s pads.
As the clock ticked down past four minutes, Williams’s hand-eye coordination was on full display as Willie Mitchell‘s shot went wide. The puck bounced off the end boards to a waiting Williams who knocked it out of midair and into an empty net.
Now the Kings were rolling. Down to the final minute. Martinez’s shot was blocked. Tyler Toffoli jumped on the rebound and his wrist shot beat a sliding Niemi. It was a fortuitous bounce in front for LA and was very similar to ones that San Jose had gotten in Game 3.
Third Period: The Kings came out strong looking to capitalize on a good second period. They did that 34 seconds in when Gaborik’s shoulder shimmy fooled Niemi and he fired a gorgeous wrister high blocker side. That ended Niemi’s night and in came backup Alex Stalock.
Just over halfway through the period, Williams nearly had a hat trick but the goal was waved off due to a Jarret Stoll cross checking penalty. It took less than 30 seconds for the Sharks to capitalize on their power play. Dan Boyle‘s shot from the top of the circles was stopped by Quick but he was unable to control the rebound and fell down. Quick attempted to get a glove on it but too many helpers and too many people in his crease allowed Joe Pavelski to get a couple whacks at the rebound and put it top shelf.
The score was now 5-3 in favor of the Kings. Still plenty of time left to be nervous with a two goal lead (especially with how recent playoff games have gone and two goal leads suddenly being extremely dangerous).
Sharks’ head coach Todd McLellan pulled Stalock with three minutes remaining in the game. With the net empty, tension in the building was palpable. Fans cheered nervously and anxious cries of “Get it out!” were heard throughout. After several failed clearing attempts, Toffoli picked off a pass, broke away for a 2-on-1 with Dustin Brown and unselfishly passed the puck to his captain, who slid it home. A wave of relief swept over the building as fans cheered even louder for their team that had just staved off being swept out of the playoffs. The Kings will live to see another day.
It was still not Quick’s or his team’s best game but there were major improvements from the previous three games. A couple of lucky bounces and a subpar goaltending performance from Niemi allowed the Kings to avoid elimination and try their hand at winning a second game in a row. However, it was a night in which LA’s top line dominated and were rewarded for their efforts while depth scoring helped out: Birthday boy Tyler Toffoli picked up a goal and an assist; Justin Williams swapped lines with Dustin Brown, moving to the third line and potted two goals; Marian Gaborik potted two goals; and the captain potted a goal and assist. Meanwhile, eight other Kings (not including those listed) were credited with at least one helper. For a team that’s been struggling generate much offense, they greatly benefited from depth scoring.
It was a highly entertaining and interesting game, much more so than the first two. It was an incredibly chippy affair throughout as the two teams combined for 74 minutes of penalties, including four fighting majors (handed out at the end of the game) and two ten minute misconducts in the first period when the ref was trying to send a message. It was a spirited battle on the ice as San Jose looked to close out the series while LA tried desperately to claw back in.
Darryl Sutter’s adjustment of the forwards worked in LA’s favor as it created more balance in the lineup. Mike Richards adds a scoring touch and drives possession on the fourth line; Dustin Brown adds a physical component to the top line with an ability to create space for his linemates and allow them more possession time; Justin Williams on the third line gives Stoll a winger who can score while Dwight King plays a similar role to Brown; on the second line, Tyler Toffoli drives possession which creates scoring opportunities for Jeff Carter and Tanner Pearson whose speed helps back off the opposition, not to mention the great chemistry he has with Toffoli that developed while they were with the Monarchs last year.
The Kings may not be pesky like the Ottawa Senators, but they’re a stubborn, resilient group who have been through a lot together. They refuse to quit and even though there are a few new faces that were not with the team in 2012, they all buy into the system. And it doesn’t hurt to have a clutch player like Mr. Game7 Justin Williams, either.
Photo Credit: AP Photo/The Canadian Press, Jason Franson
As Game Four of the Stanley Cup Eastern Quarterfinals began between the Boston Bruins and the Detroit Red Wings, much had been said by both sides about bringing their game and about forcing the other team to play their way. This is to be expected—given that there is a lot of men and some chest thumping. However, once the puck drops, the reality of the game speaks louder than any words said previously or post game.
It should not have been a surprise to see a much more physical play from the Red Wings. The roster for the game spoke to that being a facet of their approach with the inclusion of Todd Bertuzzi. While Bertuzzi did manage nine goals and seven assists this season for 16 points in the 59 games he played, he also had a total of 40 PIM on the regular season, and his career regular season PIM is an impressive four-digit 1,478 in 1,159 games.
The Bruins hadn’t played their style of game in Game One, but they brought it in Game Two on home ice, to the delight of their fans. It was expected that the tide would change when the teams were in Joe Lewis Arena with the octopi flying (and nearly missing Tuukka Rask’s head during the singing of the national anthem). However, the Wings’ fans were greatly disappointed as Rask shut their team out in their own barn–many fleeing before the final buzzer. Perhaps it was his way of responding to the near miss by the octopus.
The Bruins had been suffering from the flu—second time this season—and it was mentioned that as the game began on Thursday that the Red Wings were now having issues with it. Perhaps Boston thought the Wings would come out a little slow because of it. Such was not the case.
Tuukka Rask
Just four seconds after AHL call-up Justin Florek, and alum of Northern Michigan University, was sent to the box on a double minor high stick on Drew Miller, Niklas Kronwall’s slapshot, assisted by Pavel Datsyuk, went right into the net. The Wings fans went crazy. The Bruins were able to kill off the second two minutes of Florek’s double. And as the first period horn sounded, the Bruins were only down by the one goal though it was clear that they had relied heavily on their Vezina Trophy-nominated goalie Rask, as the Wings had gotten 15 shots on goal in that period while the Bruins had an anemic 5 shots on Jonas Gustavsson—who was in net for the Wings since Jimmy Howard was out with the flu.
As the second period got under way, not even five minutes in the Red Wings were up 2-0 with a goal by Datsyuk assisted Kronwall and Justin Abdelkader. It was beginning to look like the Datsyuk and Kronwall show, but worse, throughout the regular season the Bruins had only come back once from a two-goal deficit, so the statistics were against the Bruins.
Of course, regular season statistics don’t matter in the playoffs and with just two seconds left on the power play from an interference call on Bertuzzi against Zdeno Chara, Torey Krug returned the slapshot favor, assisted by Patrice Bergeron, to put the Bruins on the board and cut the Wings’ lead in half. At the end of the second period, the Boston Bruins had definitely wrestled control from the Wings and it showed in the period’s shots on goal, which favored Boston 12-7.
Many times after a game, coaches are asked what they told their team during intermission to rally the troops. And many times, if it is a hockey coach, he will explain that he didn’t have to say much, that the players rally themselves as the leaders of the team spell it out. And if you have watched any of the episodes of Behind the B this season, you have seen a number of the Bruins step into this role in the room.
Whatever was said brought the Bruins out with a mission, and Milan Lucic tied the game just 1:15 into the third period with a wrist shot assisted by Carl Soderberg and Dougie Hamilton. Soderberg would later be described; by Bruins head coach Claude Julien, as one of the best players in the game Thursday night.
For the next 18 minutes and 45 seconds those at Joe Lewis Arena along with those glued to their television sets would either be cheering or holding their breath depending on which team they were rooting for and whether they were in front of Rask or Gustavsson. And at the end of the period the shots on goal had been relatively even at 12-11 favoring Detroit.
This game would not be settled in regulation and after a 15-minute intermission—for the players to rehydrate and refuel, and for the fans to recover somewhat—the teams would be back at it. Play would zoom north and south again, though it was clear that Boston was getting the better chances during overtime. However, fans would have to continue to hyperventilate and tweet their disagreements with the refs through 13:32 of the overtime period before Jarome Iginla would tip in a shot from Dougie Hamilton who received the pass from David Krejci.
http://youtu.be/AmHzyseAIOw
Clearly it was not the end to the game that the majority of the fans at the arena in Detroit wanted. And the life and energy from the fans evaporated faster than the flashing of the red goal lights behind Gustavsson.
However, for his first ever playoff start, Gustavsson had been a strong contender between the pipes, blocking 35 of the 37 shots he saw. And had Rask not stood on his head for the Bruins, the game would not have had a favorable outcome from Boston. Brad Marchand especially struggled in this particular game—missing a wide open net twice.
The battling for the series returns to TD Garden in Boston, where the teams will meet on Saturday, April 26 at 3:00 p.m. Eastern. The game will air on NBC. And you can bet that the Red Wings will bring everything they have as they are facing elimination as the series stands at 3-1 in favor of the Bruins.
With the NHL well into the playoffs, there seems to have been nothing but discussion on game updates, player interviews and whether or not the Blackhawks will come out on top again (as a Chicagoan, you can imagine the sudden increase in fans I’ve noticed this time around). While I’m as much a Patrick Kane fan as the next girl, it wouldn’t hurt to turn our eye back to the female superstars who shouldn’t be forgotten. If anything, now is the time to remember women’s leagues which don’t receive nearly as much attention as men’s, so our loyalty and support of the women making a career out of ice hockey is a constant necessity. Below, you’ll find three women’s players who shouldn’t be pushed out of the rink:
Julie Chu has played in four straight Olympics, and emerged with three silvers and one bronze. In Sochi, Team USA just missed gold once again, losing to their long-time rivals from the north, Canada. Since Chu has no major hockey league to join here in the U.S. during the regular season, she plays for the Canadian Women’s Hockey League as forward and defense for the Montreal Stars. The CWHL only has five teams, however, and most of the players work secondary jobs. Chu, despite this, has remained positive, saying, “The Calgary Flames have joined to support the league, [as have] the Toronto Maple Leafs. We really want to continue to support that, when again, there’s a great product out there.”
Julie is well aware of the struggles that come with being a professional female ice hockey player. The money isn’t fast-flowing and the jobs are heavily limited, which is why she has chosen to focus her efforts on expanding the women’s leagues where they exist, especially North America.
Just last month, Shannon Szabados made history by becoming the goalie for the Columbus Cottonmouths. Why is this history? Because Shannon is the first and only female player in the Southern Professional Hockey League, as of this moment. The Columbus Cottonmouths are more than supportive, and Shannon entered the rink leading the team at her first game last month – a gesture that was immediately followed by rousing cheers and huge applause. Shannon is also a two-time Olympic gold medalist who has played for Team Canada who, as mentioned before, took home gold in Sochi.
While, ideally, most female players would prefer their own league (due to size and body weight discrepancies -after all, it isn’t a prerequisite to be large for men or women to play hockey) there’s no denying that Shannon’s actions have drawn attention to the skill level of many female players. Shannon’s willing, and more than able, to play and get paid on a professional level, a statement that shouldn’t go unnoticed.
In the world of female ice hockey, Hayley Wickenheiser is well known. She was the first woman to play professional hockey in a position other than goalie, and remains a member of the Canadian national ice hockey team. She’s been to the Olympics five times, securing four golds and a silver, while simultaneously being named tournament MVP twice. She helped Canada secure that gold in Sochi (with a broken foot!) and just this last February, she was elected to the International Olympic Committee’s athlete commission. For these reasons and more, Wickenheiser is generally considered the greatest female ice hockey player in the world.
Wickenheiser was named to Canada’s National Women’s Team at age 15, a role which she has kept for 20 years. In addition to her official positions and unofficial status as all-time best, Wickenheiser is one of two women who were first to be featured as a playable character in EA Sports’ NHL 13.
Regardless of your team preferences, women’s hockey overall should be continually supported, and athletes such as these three —and many, many, more— given the respect and praise they are due. Similarly to men’s leagues, women’s hockey games can be viewed through the sports channels available through most major cable providers and satellite services like Dish or DirecTV (see this website for hockey/sports channel information). For more hockey players you should be admiring, you can also check out this Blogspot, which has star female athletes from every nation.
The Vezina Trophy is awarded “to the goalkeeper adjudged to be the best at his position.” That judgement is in the eyes of the general managers of the 30 NHL clubs who submitted ballots at the conclusion of the regular season. The top three vote-getters are designated as finalists. As with other finalists for other awards being announced this week, the winner will be announced Tuesday, June 24, during the 2014 NHL Awards from Encore Theater at Wynn Las Vegas.
Georges Vezina 1919-21
The Vezina Trophy was presented to the NHL in 1926-27 in honor of Georges Vézina, the outstanding Canadiens goaltender, by Leo Durand, Louis Letourneau and Joe Cattarinich–former owners of the Montreal Canadiens. Vézina had collapsed during an NHL game on November 28, 1925, dying of tuberculosis a few months later. Prior to the 1981-82 season the award was given to the goaltender(s) of the team allowing the fewest number of goals during the regular season. That is feat is now acknowledged by the awarding if the Jennings Trophy–which this season went to Jonathan Quick of the Los Angeles Kings.
This year’s finalists are all first year finalists–each with impressive statistics. They are listed below in alphabetical order:
Ben Bishop, of the Tampa Bay Lightning, who is having surgery for an injury he received to his hand that prevented him from helping the Lightning during the playoffs this season. However, before his injury he managed to set multiple franchise records while assisting the Lightning to a second-place finishe in the Atlantic Division in his first season as a starting goalie. With his 31st win on March 15 against the New Jersey Devils, he became the Lightning’s all-time leader for wins in a season. He ranked fourth in the NHL in most wins with 37. He also set a Lightning franchise mark in save percentage (.924).
Tuukka Rask, of the Boston Bruins, posted a 36-15-6 record this season and backstopped the Bruins allowing two or fewer goals in 37 of 58 starts, set single-season highs in wins and appearances and had a career-best 10-game point streak from March 20-30 (9-0-1), all helping the Bruins to capture their first Presidents’ Trophy since 1990. He led the Eastern Conference in team defense with just 2.08 goals allowed per game. He is the only goaltender of the three finalists to rank among the NHL’s top five in each of the major statistical categories: first in shutouts (seven); second in save percentage (.930); fourth in goals-against average (2.04) and fifth in wins.
Semyon Varlamov, of the Colorado Avalanche surpassed head coach Patrick Roy’s single-season high of 40 wins, when he played for the Avalanche back in 2000-01, when he earned 41 wins this season—which in addition to setting a franchise record put him first in most wins in a single season among all 30 clubs in the NHL. Varlamov and Roy are the only two goalies in Avalanche history to top the League in wins. He also faced the most shots in a season (2,013) and had the most saves (1,867). His record, when facing 40 or more shots was 7-1-1 and when facing 30 or more shots he was an amazing 32-4-4. He is the first goaltender since Roy was nominated, and ended up as runner-up to Montreal Canadiens Jose Theodore in 2001-02 for the Avalanche.
The Philadelphia Flyers have called up prospect Scott Laughton. He will be a part of the recently recalled Phantoms and practice with the team for the duration of the playoffs.
Laughton was playing with the Oshawa Generals, of the OHL, but his team was swept out of the playoffs. The center produced four goals, seven assists and 11 points in nine playoff games for the Generals.
Laughton played in 54 games with the Generals this season. He had 40 goals and 47 assits for 87 points. The center was a plus 12 and had 72 penalty in minutes. The 19-year-old played five games for the Flyers last season and was sent back to juniors after not producing any points.
Laughton was drafted by the Flyers in the first round of the 2012 NHL Entry Draft. He is known for his two way play. He is good in his own zone but can also put the puck in the net when needed.
He is the ninth player to Flyers have called up to practice with the team for the playoffs. The other eight players include four forward, three defensemen, and one veteran goaltender.
The forwards are Brandon Alderson, Nick Cousins, Ben Holmstrom and Petr Straka. The defensemen consist of Mark Alt, Oliver Laursiden, and Brandon Manning. Yann Denis,31, is the veteran goaltender. He has NHL experience with the New York Islanders and the Edmonton Oilers. Denis led the Oklahoma City Barons, the Edmonton Oilers’ affialiate, to consecutive playoff berths.
Oliver Laurisden and Brandon Manning have played a combined 25 games with the Flyers. Laurisden, drafted in 2009, played 15 games with the Flyers last season. Manning was signed as a free agent on November 23, 2010, and has pkayed 10 games with the Flyers over the past two seasons.
The Philadelphia Flyers will start goaltender Steve Mason in game four on Friday versus the New York Rangers.
Mason hasn’t seen much game action since he suffered an upper body injury on April 12 against the Pittsburgh Penguins.
Ray Emery had started the first three games of the series but had given up 10 goals on 89 shots for a .888 save percentage and a 3.49 goals against average. Those type of numbers from the Flyers goalie could lose them the series. The Flyers trail the Rangers two games to one in the series.
Emery was pulled from game three after allowing four goals on just 20 shots. Mason came in for the final 7:15 of the game. He wasn’t tested much because the Rangers only had three shots the rest of the game, and Mason made all three of the saves.
Mason can also handle and pass the puck better than Emery. If Mason can get some stretch passes to his defensemen around center ice then maybe the forwards can sneak in front the opposition for more scoring chances.
The start will be Mason’s sixth career playoff game. The goalie led the Columbus Blue Jackets to the postseason in 2009 during his rookie season. He was 0-4, posted a .878 save percentage, and had a 4.27 GAA.
The Flyers better hope that Mason isn’t rusty or they could be facing a 3-1 series deficit heading back to Madison Square Garden for game five, and an early round exit.
On Thursday, the NHL announced the names of the three Selke finalists: Patrice Bergeron of the Boston Bruins, Anze Kopitar of the LA Kings and Jonathan Toews of the Chicago Blackhawks. The Frank J. Selke Trophy is awarded “to the forward who best excels in the defensive aspects of the game.”
Patrice Bergeron finished the 2013-14 season ranked third in the league in faceoff percentage, winning puck drops at a 58.6% rate (1,015-for-1,732) and lead the NHL in faceoff wins with 1,015. Often tasked with shutting down top oppositions, Bergon was second in the league in plus/minus rating at +38, behind teammate David Krejci (+39). He also finished 66 of 80 regular games played with an even or positive rating. Bergeron is the heavy favorite to win.
Anze Kopitar appeared in all 82 games and logged more ice time (1,712:45) than all NHL forwards except Pittsburgh’s Sidney Crosby for the club that allowed a league-low average of 2.05 goals per game. He also logged the most shorthanded time (164:53) among the League’s top 30 scorers. Kopitar led the Kings and tied for fourth in the NHL in plus-minus with a career-high +34 rating. He won 53.3% of his 1,451 face-offs. For the seventh straight year, Kopitar was the team’s leading point scorer. The only year he did not lead the team in points was in his rookie campaign in 2006-2007. Kopitar is a Selke Trophy finalist for the first time and becomes the first Kings player in franchise history to garner a Selke nomination.
Jonathan Toews is a finalist for the second year in a row and third time in four years. Throughout the regular season, Toews ranked third on the Blackhawks with 68 points and ranked second on the team with a plus-26 rating in 76 games. He was also second on the team with 51 takeaways and won 57.2 percent of his faceoffs this season. Toews placed fifth in the NHL in both face-off wins (884) and percentage (57.2%) in taking 1,544 draws, nearly double the total of the next Blackhawks center. He topped all Chicago forwards in average ice time per game (20:28) and ranked second on the club in takeaways (51) and plus-minus (+26), including a cumulative +7 rating against top Conference rivals Anaheim, Colorado, St. Louis and San Jose. Only three Blackhawks have won the Selke Trophy since it was first awarded at the end of the 1977-78 season: Troy Murray (1986), Dirk Graham (1991) and Toews (2013).
The trophy was presented in 1977 by the National Hockey League Board of Governors in honor of Frank J. Selke, one of the great architects of Montreal and Toronto championship teams.
The winner will be announced Tuesday, June 24, during the 2014 NHL Awards from Encore Theater at Wynn Las Vegas. The 2014 NHL Awards will be broadcast by NBCSN.
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