St. Louis Blues forward Ryan O'Reilly, Toronto Maple Leafs forward Auston Matthews, and Colorado Avalanche forward Nathan MacKinnon were voted as the three finalists for the Lady Byng Trophy, the league announced Thursday.
The trophy is given to the player who's "exhibited the best type of sportsmanship and gentlemanly conduct combined with a high standard of playing ability."
O'Reilly had a tremendous second campaign with the Blues after taking home the Conn Smythe Trophy last season. He recorded 12 goals and 49 assists with a plus-11 rating and led the league in faceoff wins for the third straight campaign. The four-time finalist for the award - which includes each of the past three seasons - was given five minor penalties this season. O'Reilly won the award in 2013-14.
This is Matthews' first Lady Byng nomination. He finished the season third in the league in goals and set career highs with 47 goals and 80 points. He was tied for first among forwards with Mark Stone with 78 takeaways; he was assessed four minor penalties; and he finished the season plus-19 while averaging 20:58 of ice time per game.
MacKinnon is also a first-time finalist for the trophy. He led all forwards on his team in ice time per game with 21:13 and totaled 12 penalty minutes. He was tied for third in the NHL in net penalties, as he drew 23 penalties while only taking five himself. MacKinnon finished the season with 95 points and a plus-13 rating.
Florida Panthers forward Aleksander Barkov won the award last season.
