Capitals' Logan Thompson Continues Unlikely Vezina Run

With all due respect, that is a gross undervaluation. Hellebuyck is the top goalie this year, but Thompson's shown he is right there as well. His record is excellent, but it's not just a great team playing in front of him.

So far this season, Thompson has played the best of his career. Even when the defense breaks down in front of him, he holds strong. He has a career best goals-against average of 2.36 and save percentage of .916.

His NHL EDGE advanced statistics paint the same picture. The first quantifier that stands out is his mid-range save percentage, referring to shot attempts in "the area between 29-43 feet of the center of the goal and bound on both sides." He's stopped over 93% of the shots against him in that area, which puts him in the 97th percentile among all NHL goalies this season.

Why that's so important is because the Capitals are excellent at holding shot chances to this area. They defend the center of the ice and in front of the goal extremely well, making it much more difficult to get shots off. The mid-range area is where they surrender the majority of their shots, and Thompson comes up big time and time again.

The other area that sticks out is the number of quality starts Thompson has put together. Quality starts in this case means posting a save percentage greater than 90%. Thompson's achieved that in 61.1% of his starts this season, putting him in the 82nd percentile amongst goalies.

It may not feel so close, but Thompson's season is Vezina Trophy-worthy. The race is a dog fight between elite net minders, but the Capitals' starter should be considered the top challenger to Connor Hellebuyck for this year's top goalie.