Tuukka Rask’s case to win the Vezina Trophy has received some numerical clarity.
NHL.com’s Rob Reese identified statistics which he believes put the Boston Bruins goaltender firmly in the race to win the Vezina Trophy for the 2019-20 NHL season. Rask’s status as the starting goaltender on the NHL’s best team already had made him the Vezina Trophy betting favorite, and Reese, an NHL fantasy editor, offers some numbers to back his candidacy.
“Rask is seventh in the NHL with 26 wins, and among goalies to play at least 30 games, he’s second in save percentage (.929) and first in goals-against average (2.12),” Reese wrote Thursday. “Rask’s five shutouts are tied for second with Marc-Andre Fleury of the Vegas Golden Knights and Elvis Merzlikins of the Columbus Blue Jackets. His advanced stats also show his Vezina-caliber season; he’s second in even-strength save percentage (.939) and 11th when facing opposition power plays (.886). And he’s had at least a .900 save percentage in 73.2 percent of his starts (30 of 41), second among goalies to start at least 30 games (Robin Lehner, 73.5 percent). Rask has allowed the fewest goals (85) among the 22 goalies to play at least 40 games, 10 fewer than second-place Carter Hart of the Philadelphia Flyers.”
Despite his recognition of Rask’s work, Reese believes the Winnipeg Jets’ Connor Hellebuyck deserves to win the Vezina Trophy over the Bruins star and the Tampa Bay Lightning’s Andrei Vasilevskiy.
“Rask is putting together some of the best numbers of his NHL career, and Vasilevskiy continues to be a model of consistency at the position,” Reese continued. “But it’s too hard to overlook Hellebuyck’s success with the massive turnover to Winnipeg’s defensemen. His shutout total combined with his even-strength play put him over the top statistically, and the consistency exemplified by his NHL-leading 38 games with at least a .900 save percentage while facing a high shot volume seals the deal.”
The season currently is paused, so it’s unknown when NHL general managers might vote on the winner of the Vezina Trophy. Nevertheless, Rask almost certainly will have some supporters when that time comes.
