Canucks' Demko, Jets' Hellebuyck in mix for NHL's top goaltender award

Thatcher Demko of the Vancouver Canucks, Connor Hellebuyck of the Winnipeg Jets and Sergei Bobrovsky of the Florida Panthers are the finalists for this season's Vezina Trophy.

The trophy is awarded each year to the NHL's top goaltender in the regular season.

Demko, a first-time finalist, posted a 35-14-2 record and set career highs with a 2.45 GAA, .918 save percentage and five shutouts.

Hellebuyck posted a 37-19-4 record with a 2.39 goals-against average, .921 save percentage and five shutouts. He won the Jennings Trophy as the goaltender (minimum 25 games played) on the team with the fewest goals allowed.

The Jets netminder won the award in 2020 and is a finalist for the second straight year and fourth time overall.

Bobrovsky had a 36-17-4 record with a 2.37 goals-against average and .915 save percentage. The two-time Vezina winner with Columbus (2013, 2017) tied for the league lead with six shutouts.

Finalists for the Calder Trophy (top rookie) will be announced Tuesday.

Expect Chicago's Connor Bedard to be among the group. The North Vancouver, B.C., native led all first-year players with 61 points in 68 games.

The 18-year-old missed nearly six weeks of game action with a broken jaw.

Bedard's 22 goals were one more than Marco Rossi of the Minnesota Wild, who played all 82 regular-season games.

Defencemen Brock Faber (Minnesota Wild) and Luke Hughes (New Jersey Devils) tied for second in rookie scoring with 47 points.

The NHL reportedly will hold its awards show June 27 at the Fontainebleau hotel in Las Vegas, preceding the June 28-29 draft in the city at The Sphere.