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Here are three NHL goalies who were massive Vezina Trophy finalist snubs

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Whenever the NHL announces nominees for one of its bigger awards, there’s always some debate about whether or not voters got it right.

Unless we’re talking about the Ted Lindsay Award for “most outstanding player” as voted by NHLPA members. They usually get that right.

But this year’s list of Vezina finalists — Islanders goalie Ilya Sorokin, Bruins backstopper Jeremy Swayman and Tampa’s Andrei Vasilevskiy — just seems…. off.

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Congrats to each of those guys, and I think there are arguments on each one’s behalf, but there are some players who feel like glaring omissions.

I mean, sure, you have to consider a full body of work, but Sorokin with a .906 save percentage on a team that whiffed on the playoffs and a 29-24-2 record?

Swayman with a slightly better save percentage and a worse GAA?

I’d probably say Vasilevskiy is my pick to win, but we’ve got to address a few snubs.

Dan Vladar – Philadelphia Flyers

Before you say, “Oh, here goes very handsome and funny Matt pumping his Flyers’ tires again,” hear me out.

If you ask me — and a lot of people — there’s no way that the Flyers get past the Penguins or even get into the playoffs had it not been for Vladar.

He signed with the Broad Street Bullies over the summer in a move by GM Danny Briere that seemed fairly unremarkable. He’d been a backup in Calgary with pretty average numbers, though it’s widely believed that was due to being stuck with second halves of back-to-backs and other unfavorable starts.

Well, he proved that he can be a bona fide starter with a 29-14-7 record through the regular season with a .906 save percentage — same as Sorokin — and a better 2.42 GAA, also better than any finalist not named Andrei Vasilevskiy.

FLYERS DEFENSEMAN CAM YORK FIRES STICK INTO STANDS AFTER SCORING OVERTIME SERIES-CLINCHER VS PENGUINS

Plus, his play down the stretch is what got the Flyers into the postseason.

Maybe it was not having as recognizable a name as the finalists, but the number and results with a Flyers team that is way overperforming, I think that’s a pretty solid case for snubbery.

Logan Thompson – Washington Capitals

If whiffing on the postseason doesn’t count against you, why not consider Washington Capitals backstopper Logan Thompson?

The 29-year-old posted a 31-21-6 record this season while carrying the bulk of the work for the Caps, but did it while posting a .912 save percentage and a 2.44 goals against average, numbers on par with Vasilevskiy.

And, oddly enough, they’re slightly better numbers than what he posted last season when he came in fourth in the Vezina voting.

Maybe it was that the Capitals never really had any high highs and never made much noise this season that left Thompson under the radar and out of the Vezina conversation.

Scott Wedgewood – Colorado Avalanche

One of the weird things about some awards is that it can hurt you to be on a good team, and the Vezina is one of them.

It’s no secret that the Colorado Avalanche were the wagon to end all wagons this season, and won the Presidents’ Trophy, and they needed good goaltending to do it, which they got.

Scott Wedgewood and Mackenzie Blackwood split the net, but it was Wedgewood who posted the better record and better numbers. He had a 31-6-6 record with a .921 save percentage and a 2.02 GAA.

Those numbers seem Vezina-worthy, but because he split the net with Blackwood, he appeared in fewer games than most other starters.

Furthermore, I suspect he gets dinged a bit for playing behind a team as good as the Avalanche, with the thought being that they’re so good both offensively and defensively, it juiced his numbers.

I’m not sure I buy that, but I suspect that’s why the guy backstopping the best team in the NHL got snubbed.

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Fever star Caitlin Clark avoids serious injury after scary fall leads to early exit in preseason game

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Indiana Fever star guard Caitlin Clark exited Thursday night’s preseason game against the Dallas Wings after colliding with one of their players.  

Clark was seen hobbling on the court after taking a step-back three-point shot and landing on Wings star defender Alanna Smith’s foot in the third quarter of the matchup. Upon landing, Clark told reporters after the 95-80 loss that she hit her knee hard when she went down after the foul by Smith.  

Clark rolled over on the court and tried to walk it off as she went toward the Fever bench. Officials ended up reviewing the play and gave Smith, the reigning co-Defensive Player of the Year in the WNBA, a Flagrant 1 foul for not giving Clark a safe amount of room to land after shooting.

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Clark exited the game with fewer than eight minutes left in the third quarter.

She finished with a team-high 21 points despite missing most of the second half. Clark hit two of her three attempted three-pointers, while knocking down 11 of 13 from the free throw line. She also had two rebounds, four assists and one steal in the contest.

Being this was a preseason matchup, Fever fans were holding their collective breath watching Clark in the moment, especially considering the tumultuous season she had in 2025.

CAITLIN CLARK RETURNS TO WNBA COMPETITION AFTER 2025 INJURY IN FEVER PRESEASON GAME

Clark played just 13 games in her sophomore campaign, far from what she had hoped after winning WNBA Rookie of the Year and setting the single-season assists record in 2024.

But it appeared Clark avoided a serious injury that could’ve come in that situation. Being in someone’s landing zone after a shot can lead to severe injuries, especially ankles turning.

Fever head coach Stephanie White didn’t seem to want to push Clark, and sat her the rest of the way.

The Fever still have one more preseason game remaining on the schedule, as they face the Nigerian national team on Saturday. Then, it’s regular-season basketball, with the Fever’s first game that counts on the record against these same Wings in Dallas on May 9.

The Wings are an intriguing team to watch, with Azzi Fudd, the No. 1 overall pick in this year’s WNBA Draft, reuniting with fellow UConn teammate Paige Bueckers to begin her pro journey. Bueckers led the Wings with 20 points on Thursday night, while Fudd finished with four points.

Follow Fox News Digital’s sports coverage on X and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.

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Former Minnesota Investigator: State Government ‘Harassed, Bullied’ Department in Alleged Coverup of Child Care Fraud Allegations

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An ex-Minnesota state trooper and former investigator in the Office of Inspector General for Minnesota’s Department of Human Services testified this week that state officials tried to get him to delete findings from a child care fraud report and later tried to shut down his department after “members of our unit were harassed and bullied by DHS officials.”

The post Former Minnesota Investigator: State Government ‘Harassed, Bullied’ Department in Alleged Coverup of Child Care Fraud Allegations appeared first on Breitbart.

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Illegal Alien Sentenced to 2 Years in Prison for Killing 16-Year-Old Megan Ratliff in Drunk Driving Crash

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A previously deported illegal alien, who was on the run for 15 years, will serve just two years in prison for having killed 16-year-old Megan Ratliff in a 2010 drunk driving crash in Indianapolis, Indiana. 

The post Illegal Alien Sentenced to 2 Years in Prison for Killing 16-Year-Old Megan Ratliff in Drunk Driving Crash appeared first on Breitbart.

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