Linus Ullmark – CanucksBanter

By NHL Public Relations

May 11, 2023

NEW YORK (May 11, 2023) – Connor Hellebuyck of the Winnipeg Jets, Ilya Sorokin of the New York Islanders and Linus Ullmark of the Boston Bruins are the three finalists for the 2022-23 Vezina Trophy, awarded “to the goaltender adjudged to be the best at his position,” the National Hockey League announced today.

NHL general managers 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 revealed live during the 2023 NHL Awards at Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena on Monday, June 26 (8 p.m. ET, TNT, SN, TVAS).

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

Connor Hellebuyck, Winnipeg Jets

Hellebuyck (37-25-2, 2.49 goals-against average, .920 save percentage, four shutouts) backstopped the Jets to a berth in the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the fifth time in the past six years on the strength of his League-leading starts (64) and percentage of team wins (37 of 46, 80.4%). He recorded a save percentage over .900 in 43 starts, the highest such figure among all NHL goaltenders. He played both ends of a League-high (tie) five back-to-backs, all coming in the final half of the season, with a .930 save percentage in the second half of those sets. He ranked second in the NHL in total saves (1,807) and third in shots faced (1,964), with both figures tops among goaltenders on playoff teams. In his 10 games facing 40-or-more shots, he posted an 8-1-1 record and .950 save percentage, allowing two goals or fewer seven times. Hellebuyck is a Vezina Trophy finalist for the third time. He finished second in voting to Nashville’s Pekka Rinne in 2017-18 and became the franchise’s first-ever recipient in 2019-20.

Ilya Sorokin, New York Islanders

Sorokin (31-22-7, 2.34 goals-against average, .924 save percentage) posted a League-leading six shutouts in his career-high 62 appearances, helping the Islanders capture the 1st Wild Card playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. He allowed one goal or fewer in 21 of his 60 starts. The third-year Islander ranked near the top of the League in several categories (min: 25 GP), including games (tie-third), save percentage (third), goals-against average (sixth), saves (sixth, 1,699) and wins (ninth). Sorokin is the first Islanders goaltender to record 30 wins in a season since Jaroslav Halak (38) in 2014-15 and one of five Islanders to achieve the feat in franchise history, joining Halak, Chris Osgood (2001-02), Rick DiPietro (2005-06, 2006-07) and Billy Smith (1981-82). Sorokin is a first-time Vezina Trophy finalist and is vying to join Smith (1981-82) as the second player in Islanders history to capture the honor.

Linus Ullmark, Boston Bruins

Ullmark (40-6-1 in 49 GP) and teammate Jeremy Swayman won the William M. Jennings Trophy as the goaltenders on the team allowing the fewest regular-season goals (177), backstopping the Bruins to their historic 65-win, 135-point campaign. Ullmark led the NHL in wins (tie-40), goals-against average (1.89) and save percentage (.938), becoming the eighth goaltender in League history to lead the NHL in all three categories and the first since Montreal’s Carey Price in 2014-15. Ullmark became the fastest goaltender in NHL history to reach 40 wins, doing so in his 49th and final game of the season; tied a Bruins record for wins in a season (Pete Peeters: 63 GP in 1982-83); and allowed two or fewer goals in 36 of his 49 appearances (73.5%). Ullmark, a first-time NHL Awards finalist, is vying to become the fourth Bruins goaltender to win the Vezina under the current selection criteria (since 1981-82), joining Peeters (1982-83), Tim Thomas (2008-09, 2010-11) and Tuukka Rask (2013-14).

History

Leo Dandurand, Louis Letourneau and Joe Cattarinich, former owners of the Montreal Canadiens, presented the trophy to the NHL 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. Before the 1981-82 season, the goaltender(s) of the team allowing the fewest number of goals during the regular season was awarded the Vezina Trophy.

Announcement Schedule

The series of NHL Trophy finalist announcements for the 2023 NHL Awards concludes Friday, May 12, when the three finalists for the Hart Memorial Trophy will be unveiled.

Source: nhl.com

VANCOUVER, CANADA – FEBRUARY 25: Matt Grzelcyk #48 of the Boston Bruins checks Brock Boeser #6 of the Vancouver Canucks during their NHL game at Rogers Arena. (Photo by Jeff Vinnick/NHLI via Getty Images)

by Kevin Woodley / NHL.com Independent Correspondent

February 25th, 2023

VANCOUVER — Brad Marchand and Hampus Lindholm scored for the Bruins (45-8-5), who have won at least six consecutive games four different times this season, defeating Canucks 3-1.

Brock Boeser scored, and Arturs Silovs made 33 saves for the Canucks (23-31-5), who lost in regulation for the first time in four games (2-1-1).

“They had a couple of shifts where they had us hemmed in and then after that I thought we outplayed them,” Canucks forward J.T. Miller said. “They sit on the lead and they’re one of the better defending teams, but I still think we had plenty of looks. We’re really starting to get an identity, like a hard-work, no quit team.”

Lindholm put Boston ahead 1-0 at 17:08 of the first period with a one-timer from the point through traffic on a power play.

Marchand made it 2-0 with 25 seconds left in the period. He cut to the middle around defenseman Kyle Burroughs before shooting back across the grain past Silov’s glove as the goalie moved right.

“I just got a little bit of open ice and it looked like there was a little bit of room in the middle,” Marchand said. “When I cut, he kind of lost speed and just tried to get a shot on net, tried to get it under the defenseman’s stick because he kind of reached, and in that situation, it always has an opportunity to go in.”

Boeser cut it to 2-1 at 7:24 of the third period, 10 seconds after Marchand hit the post at the other end. He shoveled a backhand past Ullmark from just above the crease after Conor Garland passed it out from below the goal line.

Ullmark gets 1st goalie goal in NHL since 2020

Goalie Linus Ullmark scored into an empty net with 48 seconds left.

Ullmark knocked down a dump-in near the left post, squared up and launched the puck up and over everyone, having it land flat just above the hash marks before sliding into the center of the net.

“As soon as I shot I see three guys jumping towards me, and I had no idea where it was,” Ullmark said. “I didn’t hear anything. I didn’t see anything, and then you become a little bit more aware of what’s happening, that the guys are starting to look up ice and then I see it going towards the net, and the rest is history.”

Ullmark is the 13th goalie to score a goal in the NHL in the regular season, and the eighth to do so by shooting the puck into the net. He is the first since Pekka Rinne of the Nashville Predators did it on Jan. 9, 2020, at the Chicago Blackhawks.

“That’s pretty cool. The guys that have scored a goal in this League are terrific goaltenders,” Ullmark said. “It’s hard to describe what I’m feeling right now. I have to kind of digest it all. I’m just so bloody happy.”

Ullmark also made 26 saves to reach 30 wins (30-4-1) for the first time in his eight NHL seasons.

“He’s just doing it all this year,” Brad Marchand said of Ullmark. “It doesn’t happen often and just tops off an incredible season for him.”

“Vancouver played well and they caused us some problems,” Boston coach Jim Montgomery said. “We usually protect the front of our net really well. We didn’t do that in the second and third. Linus had to be good.”

Defenseman Dmitri Orlov and forward Garnet Hathaway made their Bruins debuts after joining the team in Vancouver late on Friday following a trade from the Washington Capitals on Thursday.

Orlov was minus-1 in 20:04 of ice time playing on his off side on the third defense pair with Derek Forbort, and Hathaway had two hits in 11:40 of ice time on the fourth line.

“Really good,” Montgomery said. “Really impressed with Hathaway’s details and penalty killing and seems like he understands our D-zone coverage already, and Orlov made some special plays, special passes on breakouts, in neutral zone and in the offensive zone.”

The Canucks played most of the game with five defensemen after Ethan Bear left 37 seconds into the first period after getting hit in the face by a deflected Matt Grzelcyk point shot. There was no update postgame.

“I was proud of the guys tonight,” Vancouver coach Rick Tocchet said. “We had five [defensemen] right from the start, that’s a Stanley Cup winning type of team, and we hung in there.”

NOTES: Bruins center Tomas Nosek returned after missing 12 games with a lower-body injury. He played 11:21 on the fourth line with Hathaway and Nick Foligno, winning nine of 10 face-offs. … Marchand has six points (three goals, three assists) on a five-game point streak.