The next time you watch the Boston Bruins, fix your eyes on No. 37 and don't look away for the entire shift. Take a few mental notes. Then do the same thing when Patrice Bergeron hops over the boards again, and for a third time.

By the end of the third shift, you'll start to see the patterns of a hockey genius.

The Bruins captain will probably win a faceoff cleanly, and for the following 40 seconds, he'll stay within a few feet of the puck, never cheating for offense or defense. He won't be overbearing to teammates or suffocating to opponents; he'll just be nearby, lurking from the perfect spot. If Boston has the puck, he's a safety valve, and if the opposition has possession, he's a disruptive force.

As I discussed during the home stretch last season, Bergeron earns Selke Trophy votes through thousands of subtly smart plays. And the 2022-23 campaign, Bergeron's 19th in the NHL, has been no different. At 37, he remains a textbook 200-foot center and a front-runner for the award that honors "the forward who best excels in the defensive aspects of the game."

Bergeron's finished first, second, or third in voting in a staggering 11 straight seasons, claiming the trophy a record five times. He's arguably the greatest defensive forward ever, and until his play tapers off or he retires, the Selke is his to lose.

Yet voters don't blindly select Bergeron. It's a deep field this year, with Jordan Staal, Mikael Backlund, Joel Eriksson Ek, and Elias Pettersson among the dozen or so forwards vying for downballot votes.

Using data from Sportlogiq and Evolving Hockey, let's assess how three of them - Mitch Marner of the Toronto Maple Leafs, Aleksander Barkov of the Florida Panthers, and Nico Hischier of the New Jersey Devils - stack up against Bergeron. (All tracking statistics current through Monday's games.)

The Marner conversation

What's helping Marner's case: Marner leads the league in takeaways, with 97 in 73 games. Like a grandmaster chess player, he's elite at anticipating his opponent's next move. He takes efficient routes and won't be outhustled.

Marner, who's armed with remarkable hand-eye coordination, ranks second among everyday NHL forwards in blocked passes per game. He regularly knocks down clearing attempts and intercepts stretch passes before quickly turning the change of possession into a grade-A scoring chance for the Leafs.

Marner is both an offensive dynamo (28 goals and 66 assists for 94 points) and a workhorse (21:19 a night, including 2:20 on the penalty kill). He has Bergeron beat in both areas (57 points in 73 games; 17:36 and 1:46). And while the Selke is by definition reserved for defensive studs, there's logic in the old "the best defense is a good offense" argument. A strong two-way impact should be seen as a boon to - not a drag on - Marner's case.

What's hurting Marner's case: Centers have owned the Selke during the salary-cap era. In fact, 2002-03 was the last time a winger won (Jere Lehtinen). While it'd be nice to break the drought - Mark Stone has come close - the trend is grounded in reason: Wingers generally have it easier than centers on the defensive side of the puck. They don't help out as much deep in the zone or take faceoffs - two areas in which Bergeron absolutely crushes.

Bergeron's Bruins also boast the NHL's top penalty-killing percentage while the Leafs sit 14th. Quality of teammates is a major factor with a stat like PK%, and Boston has better personnel, but the 13-team gap is worth mentioning.

Meanwhile, Bergeron ranks second in goals against per 60 minutes among the 349 forwards who've logged 500 five-on-five minutes or more this season. His ludicrous rate of 1.31 trails only Stefan Noesen, a Carolina Hurricanes forward who's faced significantly weaker competition. Marner's tied with Jordan Staal for 90th, at 2.18 goals against per 60. Very good, but not Bergeron great.

The Barkov conversation

What's helping Barkov's case: For voters who fancy a pure defensive artist, Barkov would be a tantalizing candidate. Among everyday NHL forwards, he ranks first in puck-battle wins per game, second in stick checks per game, third in loose-puck recoveries per game, and fourth in blocked passes per game. What else could Panthers head coach Paul Maurice ask for?

Barkov, the 2020-21 Selke winner, plays a ton (21:15 overall, 2:04 shorthanded) and alongside less talented teammates than the others we're considering here. His two most common linemates at five-on-five this year have been Sam Reinhart and Carter Verhaeghe, while Gustav Forsling and Brandon Montour have been the defensemen who most often share the ice.

Bergeron's crew, by comparison, consists of Brad Marchand, Jake DeBrusk, Hampus Lindholm, and Charlie McAvoy. All but DeBrusk are star-caliber players.

What's hurting Barkov's case: Barkov's tracking stats are extremely impressive. But Bergeron ranks fairly high on various lists too - fifth in puck-battle wins, sixth in blocked passes, 16th in stick checks, and 49th in loose-puck recoveries. Barkov's edges in those categories aren't definitive.

Barkov's shot-based statistics - five-on-five shot attempts against, expected goals against, shots on goal against - grade out at 18th, 118th, and 134th out of 349 qualified forwards. While some of that is linked to Florida's middling five-on-five numbers, the low ranks still sour Barkov's Selke resume. Another thing: Barkov's appeared in only 60 games this year. Missing 14 games isn't cause for exclusion from the discussion, but it diminishes the body of work.

Lastly, a note on the quality of Barkov's opponents. Sportlogiq calculates a "strength of opposition" metric, which is the cumulative average of offense-generating plays by opposing forward lines. The higher the average, the more difficult the defensive assignment. Barkov, with a strength of opposition rating of 22.9, is 215th among everyday forwards. Bergeron, with a 24.5 rating, is fifth.

The Hischier conversation

What's helping Hischier's case: If Marner's the takeaway king and Barkov's the tracking-data wizard, Hischier's the do-everything, all-around guy. The Swiss center doesn't have a discernible weakness, posting good-to-excellent numbers in virtually every relevant defensive category, from expected goals against and faceoff win percentage to puck-battle wins and takeaways.

Penalty differential is an interesting separator, though. This season, Hischier's been assessed only four minor penalties but drawn 25 penalties for the league's third-best differential. This type of discipline isn't typically associated with strong defensive play or the Selke, but maybe it should be. Power plays are so lethal in the modern NHL that every man-advantage opportunity is valuable.

Something else that can't be discounted: Hischier is the defensive conscience of an upstart Devils team, leading the forward group in shorthanded ice time (New Jersey has the seventh-best PK%). In many ways, he's the yin to Jack Hughes' yang.

What's hurting Hischier's case: Awkwardly, what helps Hischier is also what hurts him. Bergeron is a do-everything, all-around guy like Hischier, except the Bruin gets better results. Take the faceoff circle: Hischier has won 53.6% of all draws, tying him for 30th in the league, and he's even better in the defensive zone, tying for ninth at 57.8%. Bergeron's 60.6% overall rate (third) and 61.3% D-zone rate (fifth) make Hischier's strong work appear, well, less stellar.

Hischier's versatility could certainly earn him a finalist nod. But, like Marner and Barkov, he cannot match the layers of Bergeron's dominance. Not only does Bergeron have a materially better goals against per 60 rate at five-on-five - a clear indicator of defensive prowess - but his strength of opposition is far higher than Hischier's (23.1 rating, 165th among everyday forwards).

Bergeron has been competing against the best of the best every shift this season, and still, his results are undeniably Selke-worthy. Even at 37, the man is essentially peerless.

John Matisz is theScore's senior NHL writer. Follow John on Twitter (@MatiszJohn) or contact him via email (john.matisz@thescore.com).

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Aaron Ekblad doesn't seem ready to forgive Brooks Koepka for chirping him mercilessly last weekend.

"We're not buddies," the Florida Panthers defenseman said Wednesday, according to Sportsnet's Luke Fox. "(We'll) never be buddies."

The former top-ranked golfer in the world and current LIV member used an insulting prop at the Panthers' game against the New York Rangers on Saturday.

In case there was any doubt it was Kopeka, he was at the game with some friends and they were all wearing track suits as an apparent nod to Italianfest, the evening's theme.

Koepka later explained his behavior.

"I did not bring the cone," he said, according to GolfWRX's Matt Vincenzi. "He gave up a bad goal. It was a bad pass in the third. I'm a die-hard (Panthers) fan, and he gave up a bad goal."

Koepka grew up in West Palm Beach, Florida, and lives in Jupiter, which is about an hour's drive from FLA Live Arena in Sunrise. He's attended several Panthers games this season. The 32-year-old is in the area for the LIV tournament that will run from Friday through Sunday in Orlando.

Ekblad isn't having his best season for the underachieving Cats, who are in danger of missing the playoffs one season after winning the Presidents' Trophy. The 27-year-old ranks 20th-worst in the NHL with 2.9 expected goals against per 60 minutes, according to Natural Stat Trick. He also entered Wednesday with 31 points in 63 games, his lowest per-game rate since 2018-19.

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The Ottawa Senators are down another marquee blue-liner.

Head coach D.J. Smith announced Wednesday that stalwart defenseman Thomas Chabot is "likely out a couple weeks" with an upper-body injury, according to TSN.

If Chabot is out exactly two weeks, he'd only be able to return for the final game of the regular season on April 13 against the Buffalo Sabres.

The Senators are already without prized trade deadline acquisition Jakob Chychrun, who was ruled out for a couple of weeks on Saturday due to a lower-body issue.

In the meantime, defense prospect Tyler Kleven, who just turned pro last week, will make his NHL debut Thursday against the Philadelphia Flyers.

Ottawa used the following defense pairs during Wednesday's practice:

Chabot leads all Senators skaters in ice time (24:58 per game) and paces the club's defense with 41 points in 68 games.

The Senators are five points out of a playoff spot with eight games remaining. They own a 2.3% chance of making the postseason for the first time since 2017, according to MoneyPuck.

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Rick Bowness didn't name names, but the Winnipeg Jets head coach criticized more than one of his players after the lowly San Jose Sharks shut them out Tuesday night.

"The inconsistencies of some of our players is hurting us," Bowness said following the 3-0 defeat. "If some of these guys think they're giving everything in their tank, they're dreaming. We've got a lot of guys in there giving us everything they can, and we just need a few more guys to jump on board."

The Jets are clinging to the second wild-card spot in the Western Conference with the Nashville Predators and Calgary Flames in hot pursuit. The Predators sit three points back with two games in hand, while the Flames trail the Jets by two points and have played the same number of games.

Tuesday's result is the second time Winnipeg lost to San Jose this month, falling to the Sharks in overtime on March 6. The last-place club in the Pacific Division has only two wins in its last 16 games, but both came over the Jets.

The Central Division's lone Canadian squad outshot San Jose 41-30 Tuesday. The Jets also dominated in scoring chances for (64.06%) and expected goals for (59.9%) at five-on-five, according to Natural Stat Trick.

"There comes a point where their personal pride has to take over," Bowness added postgame. "If someone has to go in there and point that out to them, then there's a big problem right there."

Winnipeg is 5-5-0 over its last 10 games and has only seven left in this regular season.

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Chicago Blackhawks captain Jonathan Toews knows his time in the Windy City could be nearing its conclusion.

"Regardless of what happens in the future this summer, it's definitely on my mind that this could be my last few weeks here in Chicago as a Blackhawk," Toews said Tuesday, according to Ben Pope of The Chicago Sun-Times.

Toews, who's spent his entire 15-year NHL career with the Blackhawks, is in the final season of an eight-year, $84-million pact he inked in July 2014. But contractual obligations aside, his ongoing health issues could potentially prevent him from playing hockey anywhere next year.

He said in February that he's still dealing with symptoms of long COVID and chronic immune response syndrome, the latter of which forced him to miss the entire 2020-21 season. Chicago's longtime captain said he had been experiencing steady improvement before his health worsened in January. He shut himself down and hasn't played since Jan. 28.

"When day after day you're just pushing through pain, it's like, to what end?" Toews said. "I'm at that point where it feels like more damage is being done than is a good thing."

Toews skated in 46 of Chicago's first 48 games this season, but he says it eventually became too much for his body to handle.

"It just got to the point where I couldn't move on the ice and didn't even want to put on my skates or roll out of bed to come to the rink," he said. "So it was pretty rough."

But he felt well enough to join the team for morning skate on Tuesday. He won't play Tuesday against the Dallas Stars, but he's making a push to return for the last few games of the regular season.

"That's definitely very important for me to just go out there, enjoy the game, soak it in, and just really appreciate everything I've been able to be a part of here in Chicago - and show my appreciation to the fans as well," he said.

Toews has won three Stanley Cups, a Conn Smythe Trophy, and a Selke Trophy during his time in Chicago. He's amassed 880 points across 1,060 regular-season games.

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We have a jam-packed night of games ahead of us, headlined by a clash between two of the Western Conference's best teams.

Let's take a closer look at the best way to attack that game - and the slate - with a pair of bets.

Oilers (-125) @ Golden Knights (+105)

Save for a healthy version of the Avalanche, I think the Oilers - with Stuart Skinner in goal - are as good as any team in the Western Conference.

The Oilers have controlled just under 55% of the high-danger chances at five-on-five over the past 10 games. They're playing very well at full strength.

Edmonton's power play is as good as anybody's and the Oilers lead the league in shorties. Thus, they'll win a ton of games when playing anywhere close to this level at five-on-five. That's what we're seeing right now, as they're 8-1-1 over the past 10 games.

Although I don't think the Golden Knights are as bad as their recent underlying metrics suggest, those numbers are certainly concerning. Vegas has controlled just over 43% of the high-danger chances over the past 10, which sandwiches it between the Canadiens and Blue Jackets. Not where you want to be.

The Golden Knights' poor numbers stem mostly from a surprising inability to defend. Across all situations, only the Blue Jackets, Ducks, Sharks, and Senators have conceded more high-danger chances over the last 10.

Even in a back-to-back situation, the Oilers are perhaps the last team you'd want to see when you're bleeding chances. That concern is only exacerbated when you're rotating through a handful of underwhelming netminders.

Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl, and Co. don't need many opportunities in order to make you pay. With the way the Golden Knights are defending right now, they should get plenty.

The Oilers are fighting for home ice and, with a little luck, perhaps even a division title. Those hopes go out the window if they don't beat the Golden Knights tonight, and they surely know that. I expect Edmonton to come out and make a statement that it's every bit as good - if not better - than the Western Conference-leading Golden Knights.

Bet: Oilers (-125)

Canucks (-110) @ Blues (-110)

The Canucks are playing very good hockey. Great hockey, even. They have won three in a row and eight of 10, and they're full value for it.

Including all game states, the Canucks rank top five in expected goals and high-danger chance share. They're keeping company with playoff-bound teams like the Kings, Devils, and Penguins in that span.

Unsurprisingly, their ability to dominate the run of play is leading to success on the scoreboard. Vancouver has bested opponents 36-21 in aggregate over the past 10 games. Elias Pettersson, Quinn Hughes, and Co. are making magic happen nightly while, aided by the return of Thatcher Demko, the goaltending has been very good.

Rick Tocchet has the Canucks playing legitimately well at both ends of the ice. While a somewhat soft schedule has perhaps aided their numbers, that's not really the card to play when they're going up against the Blues.

The Blues have lost the expected goals battle at five-on-five in 10 straight games. That's unfathomably bad considering they've faced the Ducks, Red Wings (twice), Blue Jackets, and Sharks in that time.

They are getting outplayed each and every night and Jordan Binnington (minus-12.7 goals saved above expected) is not going to mask their problems.

While a Demko start would be ideal, I see an edge on the Canucks regardless of who's between the pipes. Don't expect them to cool off in St. Louis.

Bet: Canucks (-110)

Todd Cordell is a sports betting writer at theScore. Be sure to follow him on Twitter @ToddCordell.

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