Awards Watch: Price remains right in Hart Trophy race
Every two weeks from now until the end of the season, theScore will examine the leading candidates for five of the NHL Awards.
Hart Trophy: Carey Price, Montreal Canadiens
Price has stumbled lately with three losses in his last four starts, but the Canadiens goaltender is still arguably the most valuable player to his team.
Montreal has 91 points along with the second seed in the Eastern Conference, but their 177 goals for rank last among clubs in a playoff position.
The fact that the Canadiens have remained near the top of the conference with a mediocre offense only underscores Price's impact.
Honorable mention: John Tavares has taken over the league scoring lead with four goals and six assists in his last eight games. Alex Ovechkin scored his league-leading 45th goal on Wednesday night.
Vezina Trophy: Carey Price, Montreal Canadiens
Price leads all qualifed goalies in wins (37), goals-against average (1.87) and save percentage (.937).
Only three goaltenders - Braden Holtby, Jonathan Quick and Cory Schneider - have logged more minutes.
Honorable mention: Devan Dubnyk deserves consideration for his incredible run since being acquired by the Minnesota Wild. Dubnyk hasn't started as many games as other candidates, but his 2.11 GAA is equal to that of Pekka Rinne and his .928 save percentage is better. Throw in a 28-9-3 record and he's hard to ignore.
Jack Adams Award: Barry Trotz, Washington Capitals
Trotz has earned praise for Alex Ovechkin's return to form, but the entire team has taken a step forward under their new head coach after missing the playoffs last season.
The Capitals hold the seventh seed in the East, and their +33 goal differential matches Trotz's former team, the Western Conference-leading Nashville Predators.
Honorable mention: Jon Cooper has kept the Tampa Bay Lightning at or near the top in the East all season long, but he'll be tested with a trio of key contributors set to miss significant time.
Norris Trophy: Drew Doughty, Los Angeles Kings
Doughty continues to lead the NHL in time-on-ice, averaging 29:23 for the resurgent Kings. He also has a respectable 38 points in 66 games.
Los Angeles' workhorse leads the league in even-strength shot attempts (331) and ranks fourth in shot-attempt percentage (56.46).
Honorable mention: Kris Letang leads all blue-liners with 51 points in 60 contests, and his 22 power-play points rank fourth at the position. His offensive contributions should be enough to earn him a nomination.
Calder Trophy: Filip Forsberg, Nashville Predators
Forsberg has one point in his last seven games, but he still leads all rookies in points (53) and power-play points (17). The 20-year-old is third among rookies in goals with 21 behind Mike Hoffman (24) and Anders Lee (23).
Honorable mention: Johnny Gaudreau scored a pair of goals in the Flames' win over the Anaheim Ducks on Wednesday, and he clearly belongs in the Calder conversation. Gaudreau trails Forsberg by three in the rookie points race with two fewer games played.