Photo: THN

The NHL announced on Friday that Winnipeg Jets goaltender Connor Hellebuyck, Tampa Bay Lightning goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy, and Boston Bruins goaltender Tuukka Rask are the nominees for the Vezina Trophy, the league’s best goaltender throughout the regular season.

Vasilevskiy won the award last year and has been nominated for three consecutive season. He led the NHL with 35 wins this season and was tied for 19th with Edmonton Oilers goaltender Mikko Koskinen in save percentage (.917), tied for 14th in goals-against average with St. Louis Blues goaltender Jordan Binnington (2.56), and posted three shutouts. His 52 starts were tied with Toronto Maple Leafs goaltender Fredrik Andersen for the third-most in the NHL.

Hellebuyck faced an average of 33 shots per game, tied for the 15th-most with Florida Panthers goaltender Chris Driedger, while his 58 games played were tied with Montreal Canadiens goaltender Carey Price for the most this season. His 31 wins were second behind Vasilevskiy while his .922 save percentage was tied with Los Angeles Kings goaltender Cal Petersen for eighth, 2.57 goals-against average was 16th, and his six shutouts were a league-high. Hellebuyck came in second place in Vezina Trophy voting in 2018, behind Pekka Rinne of the Nashville Predators.

Rask went 26-8-6 with a .929 save percentage (fourth), 2.12 goals-against average (second), and five shutouts (tied for second) for the league-leading Bruins. He won the award in 2014.

By Harrison Brown