2020 Vezina Trophy Odds: Tuuuuuuuukka!!! Plenty of Wins for the Fin
By: Ryan Gilbert
The race for the 2020 Vezina Trophy is going to come down to the wire. The 2020 Vezina Trophy odds have been all over the place all season long, and no one knows who is going to take it home although things are starting to get a little clearer.
Tuukka Rask continued to reign over the last week while Connor Hellebuyck and Andrei Vasilevskiy also had strong performances. Let’s see how their Vezina Trophy odds are looking after completing the first full week of March.
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Tuukka Rask (Vezina Trophy Odds: +175)
Tuukka Rask remains the favorite to win the Vezina Trophy, and for good reason.
Rask leads the league in goals against average (2.12) by a pretty wide margin (2.20 in second place) and is just barely behind the leader in save percentage (.929 to .930) and shutouts (five to six).
Rask is seventh in the league with 26 wins despite starting as many as 17 and 14 fewer games than the rest of his competition. He has just eight regulation losses in 41 starts, which is incredibly impressive. The next goalie with 40 or more starts has 13 regulation losses.
Rask had a good week between the pipes for the Boston Bruins. He went 2-1-0, stopping 76 of 81 shots for a .938 save percentage. He capped off his week with his 50th career shutout on his 33rd birthday against the Philadelphia Flyers.
All signs point to Rask winning the Vezina.
Connor Hellebuyck (Vezina Trophy Odds: +250)
While Tuukka Rask is the favorite, Connor Hellebuyck is right behind him.
Hellebuyck has played in 57 games (55 starts), just one behind Carey Price for the league lead. He has 30 wins while posting a .921 save percentage and 2.58 goals against average for a Winnipeg Jets team that has a weak defense.
Helelbuyck has gotten some respect around the league regarding the Vezina, and his status as a workhorse for the Jets could earn him some votes. While Rask’s numbers are impressive, he has missed time and has a solid backup in Jaroslav Halak. Hellebuyck is the guy in Winnipeg and is posting some impressive numbers as well; he is tied for second in wins (30), seventh in save percentage (.921) and first in shutouts (6).
Hellebuyck won all three of his starts in the past week, with 90 saves on 93 shots for a .968 save percentage. His week was highlighted by a league-leading sixth shutout against the Vegas Golden Knights.
Andrei Vasilevskiy (Vezina Trophy Odds: +800)
You can’t count out the reigning champion.
Andrei Vasilevskiy, the 2019 Vezina Trophy winner, leads the league with 35 wins. He also has a solid save percentage of .917 and three shutouts.
It’s a longshot, but if voters look and win totals, Vasilevskiy could be worth a value bet.
