Vezina Trophy Rankings: Shaping up to be a 2-horse race

Welcome to the fourth in-season edition of theScore's 2023-24 Vezina Trophy rankings, a monthly look at the top goaltenders across the NHL.

The All-Star break and bye weeks made for smaller sample sizes and resulted in two newcomers and one returnee from earlier in the season. The frontrunners are a significant step ahead of the chasers at this point, but there's a collection of netminders neck-and-neck for the third finalist spot with plenty of hockey left to play.

GSAA = Goals saved above average
GSAx = Goals saved above expected

5. Jeremy Swayman, Bruins

Previous rank: N/A

Swayman is back on our radar after missing out in January. The amount of games played is a big detractor in his Vezina candidacy, but the 25-year-old's numbers speak for themselves. Although Swayman is splitting his time closely with Linus Ullmark (26 starts to 23), he's the superior option for the Atlantic-leading Boston Bruins and ranks no worse than sixth league-wide in all the categories listed above.

Boston isn't as stout defensively as it was a season ago, but Swayman has been there to provide stability when needed and owns a .824 high-danger save percentage against a league average of .783, according to NHL EDGE. Swayman may receive some downballot Vezina votes if he keeps up his sterling stats, but he needs to take over full-time to be considered a true threat for hardware.

4. Connor Ingram, Coyotes

Previous rank: 4th

Ingram continues to be solid for the Coyotes as they chase down a playoff spot. The club is on the outside looking in for a wild-card berth but would be much worse off without its No. 1 netminder. Ingram is sporting magnificent numbers despite Arizona ranking 24th in shots against per game and 25th in five-on-five expected goals against per 60.

Although he's constantly being shellacked, Ingram's GSAx is fourth-best in the NHL and he's one of only six netminders with at least 25 appearances this season to boast a save percentage above .915. A hot streak to carry the Coyotes into the playoffs could generate some Vezina buzz for Ingram, but he'll likely settle for putting the league on notice with a truly impressive season that nobody predicted.

3. Joey Daccord, Kraken

Previous rank: N/A

Speaking of previously unheralded goaltenders who are making names for themselves this season, Daccord has been flat-out brilliant for the Kraken of late, owning a .934 save percentage in 22 appearances since the start of December. His emergence has resurrected the Kraken's playoff hopes after a miserable start to the campaign, and, like Ingram's heroics, can build a legitimate Vezina candidacy if Seattle makes it in on his back.

Daccord ranks top three in save percentage, goals against average, and goals saved above average for the year, and he's finding ways to rack up wins. His workload this season is by far the biggest of his career - he'd previously never started more than six games in a NHL campaign - so fatigue could become a factor down the stretch. Until it does, though, Daccord deserves to be in the Vezina conversation.

2. Thatcher Demko, Canucks

Previous rank: 2nd

We mentioned a pair of frontrunners sitting a step ahead of their peers in the Vezina race, and Demko is one of them. He's been a favorite for the award all season, and with Vancouver's playoff spot all but guaranteed at this point, it's hard to envision a path where its star goaltender isn't at least a finalist for the first time in his career.

Demko's case is cut-and-dry: he's dominating all the stats within our criteria, and he commands the crease for a first-place team. Unfortunately, the only goalie ahead of him is in a similar situation.

1. Connor Hellebuyck, Jets

Previous rank: 1st

The Canucks are ahead of the Jets in the standings, but Hellebuyck edges Demko in all other comparisons, making him the clear No. 1 for the second month in a row. Winnipeg's No. 1 gets a big boost over his Western Conference counterpart for his GSAx advantage and deserves recognition for going 28 consecutive appearances without allowing more than three goals.

Hellebuyck has been a beacon of consistency for the Jets this season and looks poised to be a Vezina finalist for the fourth time in the past seven campaigns. He had a fourth-place finish over than span and won the award in 2020 to cement his status as one of the best netminders in the world.

In contention: Stuart Skinner (Oilers), Jacob Markstrom (Flames), Sergei Bobrovsky (Panthers), Cam Talbot (Kings), Tristan Jarry (Penguins)

(Stats source: Evolving-Hockey)