Semyon Varlamov #40 of the Islanders looks on from the bench during the first period against the Pittsburgh Penguins in Game Four of the First Round of the 2021 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Nassau Coliseum on Saturday, May 22, 2021. Credit: Jim McIsaac
In his postgame Zoom press conference Monday night, Islanders coach Barry Trotz advocated for his team’s top goaltender, Semyon Varlamov, to be a finalist for the Vezina Trophy, awarded to the NHL’s best goalie. But when the three finalists were announced Tuesday, Varlamov was not among them.
Tampa Bay’s Andrei Vasilevskiy, the winner in 2018-19, was named a finalist for the fourth consecutive year, with Vegas’ Marc-Andre Fleury and Colorado's Philipp Grubauer the other two finalists, both for the first time.