Lightning top-line center Brayden Point went into the penultimate week of the regular season having committed only one minor penalty all season while en route to his third straight 40-goal season.
Did a fight with Toronto’s Bobby McMann in Game 78 of an 82-game season cost Point the chance to win his first Lady Byng Trophy?
It’s a legitimate question given that Point finished second in voting for the Lady Byng, awarded each season to the player “adjudged to have exhibited the best type of sportsmanship and gentlemanly conduct combined with a high standard of playing ability.”
It is the highest finish of Point’s career, only 63 points behind the winner, Kings forward Anze Kopitar. Voting on the award is conducted by select members of the Professional Hockey Writers Association, with voters making their top five choices on a 10-7-5-3-1 point allocation.
Kopitar became the third player to win the Lady Byng at least three times, joining Pavel Datsyuk (four times) and former Lightning star winger Marty St. Louis (three).
This is the third straight season in which Point has placed in the top four in Lady Byng voting. He finished fourth last season and third in 2022-23. Point seemed to be the majority runnerup selection, receiving more second-place votes than any other player (43). He received 27 first-place votes, fewer than Kopitar (50), third-place finisher Jack Eichel of Vegas (34) and fourth-place finisher Jaccob Slavin of Carolina (33).
Point’s 42 goals were the most among the top dozen vote-getters for the Lady Byng, and his 22.2% shooting percentage led the league. He recorded just seven penalty minutes — five coming on that April 9 fight with McMann — on the season.
Moreover, he committed only one minor penalty all season while improving his plus-minus to plus-17, a 36-point improvement over last season.
Kopitar recorded 21 goals and 67 points and had just four penalty minutes for the Kings.
Nikita Kucherov snubbed again for Hart Trophy
For the second straight season, Lightning right wing Nikita Kucherov led the league in scoring. And for the second straight season, it wasn’t enough to win the Hart Trophy as the player voted most valuable to his team.
Kucherov, who claimed the scoring title with 121 points, finished a distant third in Hart Trophy voting, which is conducted by select members of the Professional Hockey Writers Association and is based on regular-season performance.
In the eyes of the voters, a tremendous season by Winnipeg goaltender Connor Hellebuyck, as well as Oilers center Leon Draisaitl’s 52-goal season, were too much for Kucherov to overcome.
Hellebuyck became the first goaltender to win the Hart since Montreal’s Carey Price claimed the award in 2015, and Draisaitl was the runnerup this year after leading the NHL in goals.
Kucherov received 25 first-place votes among the 191 votes cast. Colorado’s Nathan MacKinnon placed fourth and Vegas’ Jack Eichel was fifth.
Hellebuyck also won the Vezina Trophy, which goes to the league’s top goaltender by a vote of the league’s general managers, besting the Lightning’s Andrei Vasilevskiy, who finished second.
Hellebuyck received 31 of 32 first-place votes for the Vezina, with Vasilevskiy the only other goaltender to receive a first-place nod.
Kucherov did win the Ted Lindsay Award, which is seen as the “players’ MVP” award because it’s selected by members of the NHL Players’ Association. Kucherov also won the Ted Lindsay in 2019 when he won his first and only Hart Trophy. Kucherov received his third career Art Ross Trophy, which goes to the league’s leading scorer.
Last season, after leading the league with 144 points (and recording 100 assists), Kucherov finished second in Hart voting to MacKinnon.
Earlier in the day, Lightning center Brayden Point finished second for the Lady Byng, which is awarded to the player “adjudged to have exhibited the best type of sportsmanship and gentlemanly conduct combined with a high standard of playing ability.” Point was sixth in the league with 42 goals and recorded just seven penalty minutes, a late-season fight with Toronto’s Bobby McMann taking away from the fact that he committed just one minor penalty all season.
Five Lightning players placed top four in NHL awards voting, with center Anthony Cirelli finishing second for the Selke award (top defensive forward) and defenseman Victor Hedman finishing fourth for the Norris Trophy (top defenseman).
Four Lightning players received NHL All-Star team honors, picked by select members of the PHWA and position specific. Kucherov was named first team at right wing, and Hedman (defenseman), Vasilevskiy (goaltender) and Brandon Hagel (left wing) received second-team honors.
How we voted
Lightning beat writer Eduardo A. Encina’s Professional Hockey Writers Association votes:
(Points distributed on a 10-7-5-3-1 basis.)
Hart Trophy
- Nikita Kucherov, Lightning
- Nathan MacKinnon, Avalanche
- Connor Hellebuyck, Jets
- Leon Draisaitl, Oilers
- Jack Eichel, Golden Knights
Norris Trophy
- Cale Makar, Avalanche
- Zach Werenski, Blue Jackets
- Quinn Hughes, Canucks
- Victor Hedman, Lightning
- Ryan McDonagh, Lightning
Calder Trophy
- Lane Hutson, Canadiens
- Dustin Wolf, Flames
- Macklin Celebrini, Sharks
- Matvei Michkov, Flyers
- Cutter Gauthier, Ducks
Lady Byng Trophy
- Jack Eichel, Golden Knights
- Brayden Point, Lightning
- Nick Suzuki, Canadiens
- Mitch Marner, Maple Leafs
- Cale Makar, Avalanche
Selke Trophy
- Anthony Cirelli, Lightning
- Aleksander Barkov, Panthers
- Sam Reinhart, Panthers
- Jack Eichel, Golden Knights
- Aliaksei Protas, Capitals
Masterton Award
- Ryan McDonagh, Lightning
- Pat Maroon, Blackhawks
- Mikhail Sergachev, Utah
All-NHL Team
Center
- Nathan MacKinnon, Avalanche
- Leon Draisaitl, Oilers
- Connor McDavid, Oilers
Right wing
- Nikita Kucherov, Lightning
- David Pastrnak, Bruins
- Mitch Marner, Maple Leafs
Left wing
- Alex Ovechkin, Capitals
- Kyle Connor, Jets
- Brandon Hagel, Lightning
Defenseman
- Cale Makar, Avalanche
- Zach Werenski, Blue Jackets
- Quinn Hughes, Canucks
- Victor Hedman, Lightning
- Ryan McDonagh, Lightning
- Lane Hutson, Canadiens
Goaltenders
- Connor Hellebuyck, Jets
- Andrei Vasilevskiy, Lightning
- Darcy Kuemper, Kings
NHL All-Rookie Team
Forwards
- Macklin Celebrini, Sharks
- Matvei Michkov, Flyers
- Cutter Gauthier, Ducks
Defensemen
- Lane Hutson, Canadiens
- Drew Helleson, Ducks
Goalender
- Dustin Wolf, Flames
Note: The Ted Lindsay Award (most outstanding player) is voted on my the members of the NHL Players Association, the Vezina Trophy (top goaltender) is selected by NHL general managers, the Jack Adams Award (top coach) is selected by members of the NHL Broadcasters Association, and the Jim Gregory GM of the Year award is selected by a panel of all NHL GMs, five NHL executives and five media members.
