Hellebuyck is the only one of the finalists to have won the trophy in the past. He was declared the best goalkeeper of the competition in 2020, two years earlier he was among the nominees. Sorokin and Ullmark are among the contenders for the first time in their careers.
In the regular part of this season, Hellebuyck was the most exploited of all goalkeepers. He caught 64 games with a balance of 2.49 goals per game and a success rate of 92 percent. He had a total of 1,807 hits, the second highest in the league, and four clean sheets.
Sorokin dominated the competition with six clean sheets and maximum one goal in 21 of his 60 starts. He averaged 2.34 goals per game and had a 92.4 percent hit rate.
Ullmark paired with Jeremy Swayman to help Boston to a record 65 wins and 135 points in the regular season. He picked up 40 wins himself, tying for the top spot in wins, and led goaltenders in goals conceded per game (1.89) and save percentage (93.8 percent). He became the first goaltender to do all three stats in one season since Montreal’s Carey Price did it in 2015.
Together with Swayman, Ullmark has already won the William M. Jennings Trophy, which is awarded to the goalies whose team concedes the fewest goals in the regular season of the NHL.