Quinn Hughes of the Vancouver Canucks, Roman Josi of the Nashville Predators, and Cale Makar of the Colorado Avalanche are this season's Norris Trophy finalists, the league announced Wednesday.
Members of the Professional Hockey Writers Association vote on the award at the end of each regular season. The Norris Trophy recognizes "the defense player who demonstrates throughout the season the greatest all-round ability in the position."
A first-time finalist, Hughes is considered the favorite to win the hardware. He led all defensemen with 75 assists and 92 points - including 54 at even strength - in 82 games while leading the Canucks in average ice time (24:41).
The 24-year-old also ranked first among all rearguards in goals above replacement (24.9) and wins above replacement (4.1). Vancouver dictated 57.2% of the shot attempts, 54.8% of the expected goals, and 57.7% of the scoring chances while outscoring opponents 92-55 with Hughes on the ice at five-on-five.
A Canucks player has never won the Norris Trophy or been a finalist for the hardware. Hughes finished ninth on the ballot last campaign and 13th the season before.
The other two finalists have a lot more experience with the honor.
Josi took home the Norris Trophy in 2020 and was the runner-up two years ago. The Predators captain led all blue-liners with 23 goals and ranked third with 85 points while appearing in all 82 contests for the first time since 2018-19. He was also the hottest defenseman down the stretch, pacing his peers with 40 points in 31 games since the All-Star break to help Nashville make the playoffs.
The 33-year-old veteran placed third among rearguards in both GAR (22) and WAR (3.6). The Predators controlled 53.8% of the shot attempts, 55.3% of the expected goals, and 53.6% of the scoring chances while outscoring opponents 82-63 with Josi on the ice at five-on-five. Nashville was outscored 90-86 when he was on the bench.
Makar, meanwhile, is a finalist for the fourth straight year. He won the Norris Trophy in 2022.
The 25-year-old finished second among all blue-liners with 21 goals and 90 points in 77 games and third with 70 takeaways, while his 1.17 point-per-game rate was the highest in the class. He also saw the most average ice time (24:46) of the three finalists.
Colorado dictated 52.9% of the shot attempts, 52.7% of the expected goals, and 55.5% of the scoring chances while outscoring opponents 72-64 with Makar on the ice at five-on-five.
Details surrounding the 2024 NHL Awards have yet to be finalized, but reports indicate the event will be held June 27 in Las Vegas.
(Analytics sources: Natural Stat Trick, Evolving Hockey)
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We put together another 2-1 card Tuesday night. William Nylander soared over his shot total and Quinn Hughes picked up an assist on the Canucks' lone goal. Unfortunately, Artturi Lehkonen didn't reach three shots against the Jets despite scoring.
Let's look at three players worth backing Wednesday night as we set our sights on a sweep.
Johnston's shooting the puck like there's no tomorrow. He's tallied 27 scoring chances and 43 shot attempts through just four games, both of which lead the Stars by a country mile.
Jamie Benn (14) is the closest in scoring chances, while Miro Heiskanen is second in attempts (30). Johnston is lapping the field.
His success with regards to shots on goal came in Vegas, but Johnston's process was very strong at home as well. He attempted 17 shots over the first two games of the series; he just missed the target on 13 of them.
Johnston's volume is encouragingly high on a nightly basis, and his usage reflects that. He leads all Stars forwards in five-on-five ice time in this series, which is no small feat considering they roster high-end forwards like Jason Robertson and Roope Hintz.
Given how well he played while dragging Dallas back into the series, Pete DeBoer will undoubtedly look to ride the hot hand in Game 5.
Odds: +110 (playable to -110)
Draisaitl's shot the puck quite a bit in this series. He's piled up 17 shots on goal through the first four games, second to only Adrian Kempe on either side.
Draisaitl's an efficient shooter, but his volume is generally inconsistent - until the postseason. Since the beginning of the 2023 playoffs, the German has picked up at least three shots in 15 of 17 outings and nine of 10 against these same Kings.
The lone exception came in Game 4 when Draisaitl took only two shots while missing the target on three other opportunities. Otherwise, he recorded 11 shots on goal over the first two contests while playing at home, nearly double the six he put up on the road.
With a chance to put away the series, I expect Draisaitl to be at his best and get right back on track when it comes to shooting the puck.
Odds: -134 (playable to -155)
Fiala recorded over three shots in each of the first four games and attempted at least seven in every contest.
Nobody in the series has matched Fiala's attempt volume (34), and the location of the game hasn't impacted his ability to generate shots. Fiala attempted 17 shots over the two contests in Edmonton and subsequently did the same thing in Los Angeles.
Shooting success against the Oilers is nothing new for Fiala: He's gone over his total in six of the past seven head-to-head meetings and 12 of the last 16.
Fiala's ice time has also increased as the series has progressed. He should see roughly 20 minutes in a do-or-die game for the Kings - more than enough time to hit three shots in what has mostly been a high-event series.
Odds: -125 (playable to -150)
Todd Cordell is a sports betting writer at theScore. You can follow him on X at @ToddCordell.
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Two more teams were shown the door Tuesday. The Avalanche are the first Western Conference club to advance, and our first second-round series is set, with the Hurricanes taking on the Rangers. Meanwhile, the Maple Leafs and Predators assured the hockey world there won't be a dark night on the NHL schedule this week.
Wednesday features the league's best chance for a seven-game series. The home team is still looking for its first victory in the Golden Knights-Stars matchup, while a Stanley Cup contender seems ready to join the list of squads for Round 2.
The most fascinating series of the first round can be broken down as follows:
Games 2 and 4 were nearly identical to each other.
| ES xG% | ES HDC | HDC GOALS | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Game 2 | DAL 2.59-1.45 (64%) | DAL 12-9 | 0-2 |
| Game 4 | DAL 3.37-2.82 (54%) | DAL 12-10 | 1-2 |
The last column is the difference-maker. Vegas scored on two high-danger chances in Game 2, but Dallas didn't and lost a contest that was tied late in the second period. However, the Stars converted once in Game 4 and won a matchup also tied late in the second period.
Games 2 and 4 were more competitive, but Dallas drove the play at a 65% rate across those matchups. That's particularly notable since two of the regular season's least penalized teams are rarely putting each other on the power play in this series.
If you equate play-driving percentage to a moneyline, the Stars' 65% rate would be just shy of -200. While we'll never see Game 1's price of -130 again, -155 is still a valuable bet on Dallas snapping the road team's streak.
Best bet: Stars moneyline (-155)
Who's to blame for Game 4's rare under in a Kings-Oilers playoff matchup?
That's a question worth asking after a streak of three straight overs to start the series was snapped with Sunday's 1-0 Oilers win. It's especially worth considering since Edmonton and L.A. have combined for six-plus goals in 10 of the last 13 playoff games between them.
Strangely, given that the Kings were shut out, the blame rests on the Oilers for a low-scoring Game 4. Edmonton mustered just four even-strength high-danger chances. And while the team's lone goal was on the power play, it drew just one opportunity on the man advantage.
Oilers goalie Stuart Skinner was also at fault. With 2.6 GSAx, Skinner backstopped Edmonton in a game in which Los Angeles should win 76% of the time. It was a well-timed outlier performance by Skinner, given that he posted a minus-2.15 GSAx over the first three contests. What version of him should we expect in Game 5?
David Rittich was an improvement from Cam Talbot (minus-3.08 GSAx in the series) for the Kings but was still replacement-level in Game 4 (minus-0.06). Going forward, we should expect average goaltending for both sides.
If the Oilers get back to their customary offensive production, more penalties will get called than the two in Game 4, and the Kings should finally score their first power-play goal in the series. This matchup should return to its offensive ways, especially if Edmonton, as expected, has a lead late and the Kings are compelled to pull the goalie earlier than usual.
Best bet: Over 6.5 (+105)
Matt Russell is the lead betting analyst for theScore. If there's a bad beat to be had, Matt will find it. Find him on social media @mrussauthentic.
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