For the 11th consecutive season, Boston Bruins captain Patrice Bergeron is one of three finalists for the Frank-J.-Selke trophy, which rewards the best defensive forward in the National Hockey League ( NHL).
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As announced Tuesday by the Bettman circuit, the Quebecer will fight two other pivots, namely Aleksander Barkov, of the Florida Panthers, and Elias Lindholm, of the Calgary Flames. If he has the last laugh, Bergeron will pocket his fifth career Selke, which would be a high in NHL history. He and Bob Gainey each have four to their credit.
The number 37 of the Bruins has once again contributed to the collective success of his people. He led the league with 991 faceoffs won, having the upper hand 61.9% of the time inside the circle. Seeking his first such trophy since 2016-17, he was on the ice for 65.1% of his team’s five-on-five shot attempts.
A recipient of the award in 2020-21, Barkov averaged 20:18 per game for the regular-season champions. The Panthers captain maintained a 36 differential, fourth-best among NHL forwards. He won 713 of his 1,252 faceoffs, which is a percentage of 57%.
Finally, Lindholm went 61, leading the Flames to first place in the Pacific Division. He was the most efficient of his squad in shots blocked (52) and pucks recovered (55) Playing an average of 2:07 shorthanded per game, he helped Calgary to a sixth-place finish with an efficiency percentage of 83.2% short of a man.
The name of the winner will be announced later in the playoffs.
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