Vezina Power Rankings: Gibson has Ducks clinging to playoff spot
With a new year, comes resolutions.
Atop every goaltender's list of hopeful changes is to win more games, but the elite netminders of the league will also set their sights on adding some hardware in 2019.
Here are five goalies poised to make a run at the Vezina Trophy over the final three months of the season.
5. Marc-Andre Fleury, Vegas Golden Knights
The Golden Knights have quietly climbed up the Western Conference standings and now trail only the Calgary Flames by a mere two points. The club has gone 6-1-3 in its last 10 games and Fleury has played a vital role in that run.
He leads the league with 23 wins - on pace for a career-high 43 - and six shutouts. After a shaky October, Fleury's gone 18-6-3 with a .916 save percentage, 2.48 goals-against average, and looks to have Vegas in line for a second straight playoff run.
4. Pekka Rinne, Nashville Predators
Rinne and the Predators have endured a recent tough stretch, but the reigning Vezina Trophy winner is still in the running to repeat this year.
The 36-year-old boasts the second-best goals-against average (2.25) among those to play at least 15 games, to go along with a .920 save percentage.
His .905 high-danger save percentage ranks second and he's fourth in goals saved above average.
3. Andrei Vasilevskiy, Tampa Bay Lightning
He's back!
Vasilevskiy returned from a foot injury that caused him to miss a month and subsequently jumped back into the running for the Vezina Trophy.
He's made numerous highlight-reel saves, ranks among the league leaders in all major goaltending categories, and has helped the Lightning retain their status as the team to be feared.
The 24-year-old is rocking an absurd 15-3-2 record, and with the club's offense running as hot as it is, he's sure to keep piling up the wins.
2. Frederik Andersen, Toronto Maple Leafs
Outside of the Lightning, the Maple Leafs have arguably been the most dominant club in the East, and while the team's offense has been stellar, so, too, has its netminding.
Andersen sits second in wins, fifth in shots faced, second in goals saved above average at five-on-five, and sixth in save percentage and eighth in goals-against average among goalies to play at least 15 games.
The Leafs might be stacked up front, but it's quite clear their most valuable player is the man between the pipes.
1. John Gibson, Anaheim Ducks
It's astonishing that the Ducks remain in a playoff spot, but that's just a testament to how great Gibson has been this season.
The Ducks average the fewest shots per game, allow the second most, and average the second-fewest goals per game, and still sit in the second wild-card spot in the West.
Gibson is keeping the Ducks above water, which is nothing short of spectacular.
Honorable mentions: David Rittich (Flames), Jaroslav Halak (Bruins), Ben Bishop (Stars)