Goaltending is said to be the most important part of a team. No matter how many goals you score, if you let in more than you score, you will never win. As of recently (past few seasons), it seems like the candidates haven't really changed for the Vezina Trophy presented to the best goaltender in the regular season. But injuries to superstars like Martin Brodeur combined with a few pleasant surprises has brought up some new names to the candidate list for the 2008-09 season. The following are the list of pipe guardians that are deserving of this year's Vezina, in no particular order.
San Jose Sharks, Evgeni Nabokov
Year to Date: 41 Starts, 28-6-7, 2.47 GAA, .909 SV%, 4 Shutouts
How could you possibly vote against the guy that has backstopped the Sharks to the best record in the tough Western Conference? For Nabokov, it is just another year of work as he has been another model of consistency. His 28 wins rank him 2nd only to former Shark and now Flames goalie Mikka Kiprusoff, and his 4 shutouts are among the tops in the league. Nabokov has simply been nothing but spectacular between the pipes this year and is one of the big reasons the Sharks are as good as they are.
Calgary Flames, Mikka Kiprusoff
Year to Date: 52 starts, 33-15-4, 2.80 GAA, .906 SV%, 4 Shutouts
Kiprusoff finally found his form this year after a semi-disappointing 2007-08 campaign. His 33 wins are tops in the league, and his 52 starts prove that he is an essential part to the Flames' success this year. And on this heavy workload, Kiprusoff has still maintained a nice looking goals against average at 2.80 and save percentage of .906 to go along with his 4 shutouts. He is arguably the top reason the Flames are currently in the top spot in their division trying to hold off the Minnesota Wild at the moment. But will Kiprusoff have anything left in the tank once playoffs come around? Good thing these awards are regular season awards.
Columbus Blue Jackets. Steve Mason
Year to Date: 36 starts, 21-12-2, 2.06 GAA, .925 SV%, 7 Shutouts
Some may say this is a debatable pick, but how could anyone say no to the league leader in two of the most important categories as a goalie? The rookie of the year candidate surprised everyone when he took the NHL by storm in January, and has won 21 of his 36 starts. If he had the workload of Nabokov or Kiprusoff, who knows where the Jackets would be in the standings right now. His 2.06 goals against and 7 shutouts are the two categories that he is untouched at the top of the league. He silenced critics (including yours truly) about his health issues going into the last quarter of the season, when he returned from mononucleosis and backstopped the Jackets to a 3-2 win over the defending cup champion Detroit Red Wings with a spectacular 32 save performance. If there is any reason the Jackets are in the playoffs this year, it is Steve Mason.
Boston Bruins, Tim Thomas
Year to Date: 36 Starts, 24-7-5, 2.12 GAA, .931 SV%, 3 Shutouts
Team record wise, Thomas is the Eastern Conference's equivalent of Nabokov. Thomas has backstopped his Bruins (with help from Manny Fernandez) to a very comfortable lead on the top of the East and has no signs of slowing down. Thomas tops the league with his unbelievable .931 save percentage, and his sparkling 2.12 goals against is 2nd only to Mason. His unorthodox style of goaltending and passion for winning has really shown this year, and he has been a huge part of why the Bruins are expriencing the success they are. The only knock against Thomas, is that he has had to share time with Fernandez, which hurts his numbers. Who knows what Thomas' numbers would look like if Fernandez hasn't started 20 games this year.
Minnesota Wild, Niklas Backstrom
Year to Date: 47 starts, 27-17-2, 2.22 GAA, .926 SV%, 6 Shutouts
If there is a dark horse in this year's Vezina race, someone that doesn't get enough attention, it's Nik Backstrom. Little does everyone know, each and every category of stats listed above has Backstrom ranked in the top 5 of each of them. His 6 shutouts are 2nd only to Mason, and his save percentage is 3rd. The Wild go only when Backstrom goes with captain Marian Gaborik having injury troubles and rumours are Gaborik could be leaving town by March 4th. Backstrom has simply been amazing, and if the Wild could score a little more for him (The Wild rank in the bottom six in goals for per game), his record would be that much better.
Those are the top five candidates for the Vezina, some may say Dallas' Marty Turco is left out, but Turco's winning percentage doesn't justify for him right now. Other potential candidates include the Rangers' Henrik Lundqvist and Sabres' Ryan Miller. But each of those goaltenders don't stand out in terms of statistics. These guys mentioned were the cream of the crop, and that's why one of them will be taking home the Vezina Trophy at seasons end.
