Bergeron, Lindholm, Barkov voted Selke Trophy finalists
Boston Bruins captain Patrice Bergeron, Florida Panthers forward Aleksander Barkov, and Calgary Flames center Elias Lindholm were announced as the 2021-22 Frank J. Selke Trophy finalists on Tuesday.
The award is voted on annually by members of the Professional Hockey Writers Association and presented "to the forward who best excels in the defensive aspects of the game."
This is Bergeron's 11th consecutive nomination for the coveted honor, which is the longest streak ever for a voted NHL award. He joined Bob Gainey in 2017 as the only players to win the award four times and would hold the record for most Selke wins in history with one more victory.
Bergeron put up 25 goals and 40 assists while averaging over 18 minutes per contest in 73 games this regular season. As per usual, his underlying numbers were dazzling; the Bruins scored 65.5% of all goals and controlled 66.2% of the shot attempts with the 36-year-old veteran on the ice at five-on-five, according to Evolving-Hockey. Bergeron also continued to dominate the faceoff circle, winning almost 62% of his draws and leading the league by a wide margin with 991 wins.
Barkov took home the Selke Trophy last season and will look to become the seventh player in league history to win it in back-to-back campaigns. The 26-year-old led all Panthers forwards in average ice time (20:18) and goals (39) while averaging 2.60 takeaways per 60 minutes. He also won a career-high 57% of his faceoffs.
The Panthers had 62.3% of the goals and 59.4% of the shot attempts with Barkov on the ice at five-on-five.
A first-time finalist, Lindholm was a force on both ends of the ice for Calgary this campaign. He led all Flames forwards in average ice time by more than one minute (19:57), and he tied for first on the roster with 42 goals and 55 takeaways. Additionally, the Flames controlled 69.1% of the goals and 57.3% of the shot attempts with Lindholm on the ice at five-on-five.
Lindholm was also a pillar of the Flames' penalty kill, which finished the regular season as the sixth-best unit in the league. He topped all Flames forwards in average shorthanded ice time per contest (2:07).
The winners of the 2022 NHL awards will be announced during the conference finals and Stanley Cup Final.
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