Henrik Lundqvist is up for the Vezina again. The Swedish King was nominated for the NHL’s top goalie for the fifth time in his eight-year career. The 31-year old Blueshirt won his first Vezina last year. He joins first time nominees Sergei Bobrovsky and Antti Niemi for the award.

Hank’s strong finish to the season helped the Rangers make the playoffs for the seventh time in eight years. Down the stretch, he went 13-5-2 with a 13-5-2 record, 1.77 GAA and .935 save percentage. The backbone of the team, Lundqvist allowed two goals or fewer in 16 of his last 20 contests. Without him, they don’t sniff the postseason. In a year where they struggled offensively, he bailed them out. They’ll need another stellar performance to even the best-of-seven first round series tonight at MSG.

In addition to tying Niemi for the league lead in wins (24), he posted a 2.06 GAA, .926 save percentage and two shutouts in a league best 43 starts. Lundqvist passed Ed Giacomin for second all-time wins for a goalie in franchise history. His 276 trail Mike Richter (301). His 45 shutouts are second behind Giacomin (49).

Though he probably won’t win the Vezina due to Bobrovsky’s standout season, Lundqvist should finish runner-up. He is the best goalie in the sport. Hank’s the most consistent and durable. Without him, our team would be in the lottery. If they are to overcome the high powered Caps, it will fall on the broad shoulders of the King.

    NEW YORK (May 8, 2013) — Sergei Bobrovsky of the Columbus Blue Jackets, Henrik Lundqvist of the New York Rangers and Antti Niemi of the San Jose Sharks are the three finalists for the 2012-13 Vezina Trophy, which is awarded “to the goalkeeper adjudged to be the best at his position,” the National Hockey League announced today.

    The general managers of the 30 NHL clubs submitted ballots for the Vezina Trophy at the conclusion of the regular season, with the top three vote-getters designated as finalists. The winner will be announced during the 2013 Stanley Cup Final, with more detail on format to be released at a later date.

    Following are the finalists for the Vezina Trophy, in alphabetical order:

Sergei Bobrovsky, Columbus Blue Jackets

    Bobrovsky (21-11-6, 2.00 goals-against average, .932 save percentage, four shutouts) backstopped Columbus’ late-season surge that kept the club in contention for a playoff berth until the final moments of the season. The first-time Vezina finalist appeared in all but one of the Blue Jackets’ franchise-record 12-game point streak (8-0-4) from Feb. 26 through Mar. 22 that spurred the club’s move up the standings. He won eight of his last nine decisions from April 9-27, posting a 1.64 goals-against average and .945 save percentage in that span. He ranked second among NHL goaltenders in save percentage and sixth in goals-against average.

Henrik Lundqvist, New York Rangers

    Lundqvist, the reigning Vezina winner, tied for the NHL lead in wins, posting a 24-16-3 record with a 2.05 goals-against average and .926 save percentage. He also tied for the League lead in starts (43), ranked fifth in save percentage and seventh in goals-against average. He posted his eighth consecutive 20-win season, the longest current streak among active goaltenders. Lundqvist helped clinch his seventh trip to the playoffs in eight NHL seasons by allowing two goals or fewer in 16 of his last 20 games, going 13-5-2 with a 1.77 GAA and .935 save percentage in that span. He is a Vezina finalist for the fifth time, finishing first in 2012 and third from 2006 through 2008.

Antti Niemi, San Jose Sharks

    Niemi shared the NHL lead in starts (43), saw more ice time than any other goaltender (2,580:46) and ranked third in shots faced (1,220) and saves (1,127). He helped the Sharks post the League’s sixth-best defensive record (2.33 goals-against per game) by going 24-12-6 with a 2.16 goals-against average, .924 save percentage and four shutouts, tying for first place in wins and placing seventh in save percentage. Niemi is a Vezina finalist for the first time and is the fourth Finland native in the past seven seasons to make the top three, joining Calgary’s Miikka Kiprusoff, Minnesota’s Niklas Backstrom and Nashville’s Pekka Rinne.

History

    Leo Dandurand, Louis Letourneau and Joe Cattarinich, former owners of the Montreal Canadiens, presented the trophy to the National Hockey League in 1926-27 in memory of Georges Vezina, the outstanding Canadiens goaltender who collapsed during an NHL game on Nov. 28, 1925, and died of tuberculosis a few months later. Until the 1981-82 season, the goaltender(s) of the team allowing the fewest number of goals during the regular season were awarded the Vezina Trophy.