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On Friday the National Hockey League announced the three finalists for the 2013-2104 Vezina Trophy.   Tuukka Rask of the Boston Bruins, Ben Bishop of the Tampa Bay Lightning, and Semyon Varlamov of the Colorado Avalanche were all named as finalists. The Vezina Trophy is awarded to the goalkeeper adjudged to be the best at his position. The award is voted on by the 30 NHL general managers, and is based on regular season play. The winner will be announced at the NHL Awards Show on June 24th, at the Encore Theater at the Wynn in Las Vegas.

 

Semyon Varlamov, Colorado Avalanche

 

This is the first time that Varlamov has ever been nominated for a Vezina Trophy. Varlamov lead the surprise Avalanche to a first place divisional finish. He racked up a league best 41 wins this season. It was not that he had an easy time in net either. He faced 40+ shots 9 times and 30+ shots 40 times. He ranked first in the NHL in shots faced. This season came as a surprise to many, but night in and night out Varlamov continued to show that he was amongst the elite NHL goaltenders.

 

Ben Bishop, Tampa Bay Lightning

 

Bishop won a club record 37 games for the Tampa Bay Lightning this season. He was solid from start to finish. He posted an impressive .924 save percentage, and 2.23 goals against average. Bishop also posted five shutouts which the fourth highest in the NHL. This is Bishops first time being nominated for a Vezina Trophy. A late season injury stalled his success, and put the Lightning in a difficult position heading into the playoffs.

 

Tuukka Rask, Boston Bruins

 

Rask produced another very successful year for the Boston Bruins. His 36 wins helped the Bruins clinch their first Presidents Trophy since 1990. He led the league in shutouts with seven, and finished second with a save percentage of .930. The consistent play of Rask has made him one of the elite goalies in the NHL. This is Tuukka Rask first time being nominated for the Vezina Trophy.

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