Four teams remain in the Stanley Cup hunt and the Conn Smythe Trophy field has narrowed, with the award decided on performance across the entire postseason and voted on by an 18-person panel of Professional Hockey Writers Association members. More than a dozen writers were polled for their current Conn Smythe top three, and the results show a tight group of contenders, according to the poll.
Frederik Andersen of the Carolina Hurricanes is the current front-runner. Andersen, 36, is 8-0 as Carolina became the first team to sweep the first two rounds of the Stanley Cup playoffs under the modern format that began in 1987. He has a .950 save percentage and a 1.12 goals-against average through eight games, and MoneyPuck credited him with 11.2 goals saved above expected, just ahead of Montreal’s Jakub Dobes at 11.1, according to the poll.
Vegas right wing Mitch Marner was essentially the co-leader in the polling, finishing just behind Andersen and appearing on all but two ballots. Marner led the postseason scoring through two rounds for Vegas and had four short-handed points entering the Western Conference finals. ‘‘I think he’s a hell of a hockey player. I think he’s very confident in what he brings,’’ coach John Tortorella said, per the poll.
Colorado center Nathan MacKinnon remained a major contender despite ranking behind Andersen and Marner on the ballots. DraftKings listed MacKinnon at +180 before Game 1 of the Western Conference finals, compared with Andersen at +400 and Marner at +1200. MacKinnon had 13 points through nine games, including seven goals, and scored the game-tying goal with 23 seconds left in Game 5 that set up an overtime clincher, according to the poll.
Other players receiving votes include Carolina center Logan Stankoven, who leads the Hurricanes with seven goals in eight games and has two eventual game-winners, and Montreal goalie Jakub Dobes. Dobes has a .910 save percentage and a 2.52 goals-against average, was 6-0 in the playoffs after losses (including both Game 7 victories for Montreal), and was listed as high as second on one ballot. These players rounded out the Conn Smythe discussion in the writers’ polling, according to the results.
