NHL awards vote coming down to wire

Minnesota Wild defenseman Ryan Suter was tied with Montreal’s P.K. Subban and Pittsburgh’s Kris Letang in the latest power rankings vote.(Photo: Russell LaBounty, USA TODAY Sports)

Story Highlights

• Sidney Crosby leads MVP vote, but Alex Ovechkin is closing in
• There’s a dead heat in the Norris Trophy race
• Sergei Bobrovsky moves atop the goalie vote

More than playoff positioning is at stake in the final week of the season.

The latest vote of the 12-member USA TODAY Sports power rankings suggests that postseason awards could also come down to the wire.

Eight people on the panel are voting members of the Professional Hockey Writers Association, which will decide the Hart Trophy (MVP), Norris Trophy (defenseman) and Calder Trophy (rookie), among others.

Results of the April 22 vote:

-Pittsburgh Penguins star Sidney Crosby, who continues to lead the league in scoring three weeks after suffering a broken jaw, maintained his position atop the MVP race. He did receive one fewer first-place vote.

Washington Capitals star Alex Ovechkin jumped to within eight points of Crosby after a late-season surge in which he has scored 21 goals in 20 games.

-The closest vote is for the Norris Trophy, where the Minnesota Wild’s Ryan Suter, Montreal Canadiens’ P.K. Subban and Penguins’ Kris Letang were tied for first among defensemen.

-Columbus Blue Jackets’ Sergei Bobrovsky passed the Boston Bruins’ Tuukka Rask for the goaltending lead (general managers vote on the Vezina Trophy) and Florida Panthers forward Jonathan Huberdeau remained top rookie.

THE FULL POWER RANKINGS VOTE

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

Autoplay

Show Thumbnails

Show Captions

Fullscreen

Last SlideNext Slide^[1][2]