Hockey forward David Pastrňák from Boston has a chance in the NHL to win the Ted Lindsay Award for the best player of the season according to the players’ association NHLPA.
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Remember David Pastrnak’s hat trick against Pittsburgh earlier this month | Video: Associated Press
The soon-to-be 27-year-old Czech gunner is among the three finalists for the prized individual trophy, along with defender Erik Karlsson from San Jose and forward Connor McDavid from Edmonton. The NHL informed about it on the competition’s official website.
For the five-time winner of the domestic Golden Hockey Poll Pastrňák, it would be the second major individual award if he won.
He has the 2020 Maurice “Rocket” Richard Trophy for the top scorer in the regular season. He shot it then together with Alexander Ovechkin.
In the regular part of the ongoing NHL season, Pastrňák was the clear offensive leader of the Bruins. He finished third in the league in productivity and second in scoring.
In 82 games, the Czech hockey player set career highs with 113 points for 61 goals and 52 assists. Among the Gunners in the fight for the Maurice Richard Trophy, only McDavid, the reigning champion of the season, surpassed him by three goals.
However, Pastrňák ruled the league with 13 game-winning shots. He had three hat tricks and nine games with at least three points. Bobby Orr (1974/75) was the last Bruin to win the award.
Twenty-six-year-old Canadian McDavid won the Art Ross Trophy for the most productive player for the third time in a row and the fifth time in his career. In 82 duels, he collected 153 points for 64 goals and 89 assists.
At the same time, the last time Mario Lemieux reached the 150-point mark was in the 1995/96 season. He scored 161 at that time.
McDavid is already a three-time winner of the Ted Lindsay Award in 2017, 2018 and 2021. He was also among the finalists last year, but another forward, Auston Matthews from Toronto, won.
Only legendary forwards Wayne Gretzky (5) and Lemieux (4) won the award, which until 2010 bore the name of former Canadian Prime Minister Lester B. Pearson, more than three times.
The 32-year-old Swede Karlsson, like Pastrňák, is among the trio of finalists for the first time. The teammate of Tomáš Hertl and Radim Šimek dominated the Sharks’ scoring and became only the sixth defenseman in the history of the famous competition to reach the 100-point mark.
The last so far was Brian Leetch, who scored 102 points in the 1991/92 season in the jersey of the New York Rangers.
Karlsson amassed 101, scoring 25 goals and adding 76 assists. He also scored his first NHL hat trick during the season and set a club record by scoring in 14 consecutive games between December 3 and January 6. He scored two goals and 20 assists during that time.
Karlsson is also among the three finalists for the Norris Trophy for the best defenseman, which he already won in 2012 and 2015.
