Capitals’ Braden Holtby wins Vezina Trophy as NHL’s top goalie

Braden Holtby become the third Washington Capitals goaltender to win the Vezina Trophy.

LAS VEGAS – Braden Holtby won the Vezina Trophy on Wednesday night as the top goalie in the NHL.

The Washington Capitals netminder equalled a single-season record with 48 wins to lead his team to the Presidents’ Trophy as the league’s top regular-season club in 2015-16.

A first-time nominee, the 26-year-old from Lloydminster, Sask., became the seventh goaltender in NHL history to record consecutive 40-win seasons and finished fifth in goals-against average (2.20), sixth in saves (1,661) and eighth in save percentage (.922).

Also up for the Vezina at the NHL Awards in Las Vegas were Jonathan Quick of Los Angeles Kings and Ben Bishop of the Tampa Bay Lightning, who were both nominated for the second time in their careers.

Quick led all goaltenders in appearances (68), starts (68) and minutes (4,034), and ranked second in wins (40), fifth in saves (1,671) and tied for fifth in shutouts (five) in 2015-16.

Bishop led the NHL with a 2.06 goals-against average and ranked second with a .926 save percentage, both career highs and franchise records.

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