NHL Vezina Trophy Race: Tim Thomas and the Top 7 Candidates

"The Vezina Trophy is an annual award given to the goalkeeper adjudged to be the best at this position as voted by the general managers of all NHL clubs." (NHL.com)

This NHL season has seen an unprecedented number of goalies (nearly a dozen) perform at Vezina Trophy-candidate levels.

Here are the top seven Vezina Trophy candidates for the 2010-11 season.

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Honorable Mentions

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LOS ANGELES, CA - MARCH 24: Goaltender Jonathan Quick #32 of the Los Angeles Kings slides out his right leg pad to defend the shot as Patrick Marleau #12 of the San Jose Sharks loses control of the puck during his shootout attempt in the NHL game at Stap

Jonathan Quick

At the start of the season, many expected Los Angeles Kings goalie Jonathan Quick to lose his starting position to rookie Jonathan Bernier at some point during the year. Quick has been so good that the Kings have had no choice but to keep playing him. He's fourth in the league in goals-against average (GAA), fifth in shutouts and seventh in wins.

Jonas Hiller

The Anaheim Ducks' Jonas Hiller was leading the NHL in wins at the All-Star break and he was building a very strong case for the Vezina Trophy and even the Hart Trophy as league MVP. Unfortunately, Hiller has played only twice since February 2 due to an ongoing battle with vertigo. Still, Hiller is fourth in the league in save percentage (SP).

Cam Ward

Carolina Hurricanes goalie Cam Ward leads all goalies in games played, shots faced and saves and he is in the top 10 in wins and SP. He's easily the biggest reason that the Hurricanes still have any chance at the playoffs. If they do get in, Ward has been known to steal playoff series on a regular basis, as evidenced by the Conn Smythe Trophy on his mantle.

Miikka Kiprusoff

When it comes to Miikka Kiprusoff of the Calgary Flames, the numbers just don't tell the story. Despite not being in the top 25 in GAA or SP, Kiprusoff's incredibly acrobatic and timely saves are the main reason the Calgary Flames were able to go from 14th in the Western Conference at the end of December to as high as fifth in March. He also sits third in the league in wins with 34.

7. Roberto Luongo, Vancouver Canucks

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VANCOUVER, CANADA - MARCH 14: Goalie Roberto Luongo #1 of the Vancouver Canucks stops Brent Burns #8 of the Minnesota Wild in close during the first period in NHL action on March 14, 2011 at Rogers Arena in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. (Photo by

Stats: 57 games played, 36 wins, 14 losses, 7 overtime losses, .927 save percentage, 2.16 goals-against average, 3 shutouts

Why He Should Win

Roberto Luongo's stats are very impressive. He leads the league in wins and he is third in both goals-against average and save percentage. Luongo's butterfly play is amongst the best in the game. He rarely gets out of position, and being 6'3" allows him to cover a lot of the net.

Why He Shouldn't Win

The Vancouver Canucks are why Luongo probably won't win. He plays for, by far, the best team in the league, which takes a lot of pressure off Luongo to be superb. Also, Luongo's shutout count is disappointingly low despite playing behind a great team. Lastly, his technical style, while very good, makes him less spectacular and memorable than a lot of goalies in the league.

6. Marc-Andre Fleury, Pittsburgh Penguins

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PITTSBURGH, PA - MARCH 27: Marc-Andre Fleury #29 of the Pittsburgh Penguins makes a save against Mike Santorelli #13 of the Florida Panthers during the shootout at Consol Energy Center on March 27, 2011 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The Penguins defeated t

Stats: 62 games played, 34 wins, 19 losses, 5 overtime losses, .918 save percentage, 2.32 goals-against average, 3 shutouts

Why He Should Win

Marc-Andre Fleury had a rough start to the season, but since the ninth game, he's been absolutely phenomenal. Fleury places third in the league in GAA and SP since then and he has carried the Pittsburgh Penguins through a ridiculous rash of injuries to Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Mark Letestu (twice), Chris Kunitz, Jordan Staal, Brooks Orpik and several others. Even after 35 games without Crosby, Fleury has the Penguins just four points behind the Eastern Conference-leading Philadelphia Flyers.

Why He Shouldn't Win

In all likelihood, Fleury's terrible start to the season will probably cost him a Vezina Trophy nomination. Fleury went 1-6, got pulled once and even temporarily lost his starting job to backup Brent Johnson before rebounding with a 14-game unbeaten streak. Still, Fleury's stats are a bit lower than the top few candidates, and that will hurt his case.

5. Ilya Bryzgalov, Phoenix Coyotes

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GLENDALE, AZ - MARCH 29: Goaltender Ilya Bryzgalov #30 of the Phoenix Coyotes makes a glove save on the shot from the Dallas Stars during the first period of the NHL game at Jobing.com Arena on March 29, 2011 in Glendale, Arizona. (Photo by Christian Pe

Stats: 63 games played, 34 wins, 19 losses, 8 overtime losses, .921 save percentage, 2.50 goals-against average, 7 shutouts

Why He Should Win

Ilya Bryzgalov has a team with no superstars, no 20-goal scorers, no 60-point players and special teams in fourth place in the extremely difficult Western Conference. Bryzgalov has faced the third-most shots in the league, many of them great chances, and always seems able to come up with critical saves.

Why He Shouldn't Win

Bryzgalov's save percentage and goals-against average are good, but not great, and that will hurt his chances. He's ninth in SP and 16th in GAA, which is well below the top candidates' numbers. Also, like Luongo, Bryzgalov's strong technique makes him somewhat unspectacular.

4. Pekka Rinne, Nashville Predators

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NASHVILLE, TN - MARCH 24: Pekka Rinne #35 of the Nashville Predators stops a breakaway shot by Andreas Lilja #3 of the Anaheim Ducks on March 24, 2011 at the Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Frederick Breedon/Getty Images)

Stats: 59 games played, 30 wins, 21 losses, 8 overtime losses, .929 save percentage, 2.10 goals-against average, 6 shutouts

Why He Should Win

Pekka Rinne is second in the league in both goals-against average and save percentage. He's also very close to helping the offensively-impotent Nashville Predators clinch a playoff spot for the sixth time in the last seven years. Rinne's size, at 6'5", and his technical positioning make him very hard to score on.

Why He Shouldn't Win

There aren't many reasons that Rinne shouldn't win the Vezina, and almost any other year he'd certainly be a nominee. What will hold him back this year is his lack of wins compared to the other top candidates. Each of the other leaders has at least 33 wins, and Rinne being outside of the top 10 will just barely prevent him from being a finalist.

3. Carey Price, Montreal Canadiens

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MONTREAL, CANADA - JANUARY 12: Carey Price #31 of the Montreal Canadiens gets down to stop the incoming puck on a shot by Evgeni Malkin #71 of the Pittsburgh Penguins during the NHL game at the Bell Centre on January 12, 2011 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada.

Stats: 68 games played, 35 wins, 27 losses, 6 overtime losses, .922 save percentage, 2.38 goals-against average, 8 shutouts

Why He Should Win

Carey Price is seventh in save percentage, 10th in goals-against average and in the top three in every other major goaltending category, all while leading the offensively listless Montreal Canadiens to sixth place in the Eastern Conference. Not only is Price a Vezina Trophy candidate, but he's a legitimate Hart Trophy contender as well. His lateral movement is among the best in the game.

Why He Shouldn't Win

Price's goals-against average and save percentage are very good but aren't quite on par with the league leaders, and that will probably be the difference between winning and being a finalist.

2. Henrik Lundqvist, New York Rangers

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NEW YORK - MARCH 22: Henrik Lundqvist #30 of the New York Rangers skates against the Florida Panthers on March 22, 2011 at Madison Square Garden in New York City, New York. Rangers defeated the Islanders 1-0. (Photo by Mike Stobe/Getty Images)

Stats: 62 games played, 33 wins, 24 losses, 5 overtime losses, .924 save percentage, 2.24 goals-against average, 11 shutouts

Why He Should Win

Henrik Lundqvist is in the top seven in every major goaltending category, and he leads with an incredible 11 shutouts. If Lundqvist can notch one more shutout in the New York Rangers' final six games, he'll join the elite company of Martin Brodeur, Dominik Hasek, Bernie Parent and Tony Esposito as the only post-expansion goalies to post 12 shutouts in a season (all of whom won the Vezina).

Lundqvist has also carried the Rangers through major injuries to Marian Gaborik and Ryan Callahan and has them in a somewhat unexpected playoff spot; most preseason predictions had the Rangers missing the playoffs this year.

Why He Shouldn't Win

There is only one good reason that Lundqvist shouldn't win the Vezina Trophy, and it's on the next slide.

1. Tim Thomas, Boston Bruins

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CALGARY,CANADA - FEBRUARY 22: Tim Thomas #30 of the Boston Bruins celebrates a win against the Calgary Flames looks on during their NHL game at Scotiabank Saddledome, February 22,2011 in Calgary, Alberta, Canada.(Photo By Dave Sandford/Getty Images)

Stats: 53 games played, 33 wins, 10 losses, 8 overtime losses, .940 save percentage, 1.96 goals-against average, 9 shutouts

Why He Should Win

Simply put, Tim Thomas is playing at a higher level than any other goalie since the lockout. He's on pace to set a new NHL record for save percentage in a season and he is on pace to have the lowest goals-against average in a season of anyone post-lockout. Thomas is also second in the league in shutouts, with nine in just 53 games.

On top of that, Thomas' non-traditional style leaves him scrambling sometimes, which results in an array of spectacular and memorable saves.

Why He Shouldn't Win

The only small argument against Tim Thomas for the Vezina is that he's played 10 to 15 fewer games than the other top candidates. However, it's not much of an argument, as Thomas is within three wins of the league leaders.

Follow Erik on Twitter: @ekpaul87