The NHL has announced the Vezina Trophy finalists for the 2020-21 season. The three goaltenders are Marc-Andre Fleury from the Vegas Golden Knights, Philipp Grubauer from the Colorado Avalanche, and Andrei Vasilevskiy from the Tampa Bay Lightning.
https://twitter.com/FriedgeHNIC/status/1399744012303601664?s=20
Fleury, Grubauer, Vasilevskiy Headline Vezina Trophy Finalists
Marc-Andre Fleury
Even in his 17th season, Fleury is showing no signs of slowing down. This has been one of his best seasons since joining the Golden Knights back in the 2017-18 season. In 36 starts he had a 26-10 record, with a .928 save percentage and a ridiculous 1.98 goals-against average. He’s shut out opponents six times and had an insane 20.1 goals saved above average. In the playoff series against the Minnesota Wild, Fleury played all seven games, winning four of them. So far he’s put up similar numbers to the regular season: a .931 save percentage and a 1.71 goals-against average, along with a shutout.
After Vegas picked up star goalie Robin Lehner, there were some questions as to who would start. This season, Fleury has absolutely asserted himself as the better goaltender, earning the starting role from the very beginning. He’s been lights-out for Vegas, propelling them to a second-place finish in the Western Division, and a Jennings Trophy win. Fleury is a no-brainer out of the three Vezina Trophy finalists.
Philipp Grubauer
This is the most surprising finalist out of the three goalies. Even so, his numbers tell the whole story. The lefty started 39 games, posting a 30-9-1 record. He had a save percentage of .922, and a goals-against-average of 1.95. He shattered his career-high shutout record, posting seven of them this season, and saved 14.5 goals above average.
In the playoffs, he’s had an easy ride, as the Avalanche took care of the St Louis Blues in four games, and handily won Game One against Vegas. Five wins through five starts, a .941 save percentage, a 1.60 goals-against average, and even registering a point, Grubauer has not been tested very much. To that point, many fans complain that he was behind the best regular-season team to help with those numbers. While this is true, Grubauer has been rock solid in net for the Avalanche, even in the midst of defensive breakdowns.
Andrei Vasilevskiy
Vasilevskiy has been in the conversation for the Vezina Trophy for years. Since the 2017-18 season, he has always been a finalist, including a win in the 2018-19 season. Just as in past years, Vasilevskiy was dominant for the Lightning in the regular season, and so far in the playoffs. Posting a 31-10-1 record through 42 starts, it was obvious the Lightning leaned on their star goaltender for wins. A .925 save percentage and 2.21 goals against average aren’t as impressive as the other two finalists, but 21.0 goals saved above average certainly is.
In a wild series against the Florida Panthers, Vasilevskiy stood his ground in the net. He’s only allowed 17 goals in seven playoff games. Posting a .936 save percentage, and 2.41 goals-against average, Vasilevskiy has not needed to be the best goaltender on the planet for the Lightning to win games.
Winner Prediction
All three Vezina Trophy finalists have played behind incredible teams this season. But do the goalies make the teams so good, or do the teams make the goalies so good? That’s a circular debate that could go on forever. However, after analyzing these teams all season, Marc-Andre Fleury should win the Vezina Trophy this year. His defence was good, but they made more mistakes than other top teams. In addition, Fleury had an incredible bounce-back year, proving he is still a top-three goaltender this season. He was consistently incredible through the entire regular season, with the highest save percentage out of these three goalies. In a season that relied heavily on consistent goaltending, Fleury was the best in the entire league.
Main Photo:
Embed from Getty Images
