Selke Trophy finalists unveiled

Patrice Bergeron is a finalist for the Selke Trophy for a record eighth consecutive year.

The Boston Bruins center, who has won the award four times; St. Louis Blues center Ryan O'Reilly and Vegas Golden Knights forward Mark Stone were named finalists for the Selke Trophy on Wednesday. The award is given to the forward voted to best excel in the defensive aspects of the game.
The winner will be announced at the 2019 NHL Awards presented by Bridgestone at the Mandalay Bay Events Center sports and entertainment complex in Las Vegas on June 19.
Bergeron, whose most recent Selke win was in 2016-17, was eighth in the NHL this season in face-off percentage (56.6 percent, minimum 750 attempts) and 10th with a 52.3 percent (minimum 50 face-offs won) while shorthanded. The 33-year-old led the Bruins in shorthanded goals (four), was first among Bruins forwards in blocked shots (60), and first among Boston forwards in SAT percentage (minimum 25 games played), with the Bruins taking 56.73 percent of shot attempts when he was on the ice at 5-on-5.

O'Reilly led the NHL with 1,086 face-off wins, was fourth in shorthanded face-off wins (121) and eighth in face-off percentage (56.9 percent, minimum 450 face-offs). The 28-year-old led the Blues in assists (49), points (77) and points per game (0.94); was second with 28 goals; was first among Blues forwards in average ice time (20:46); and was fourth in the NHL with 94 takeaways. His plus-22 rating was tied for seventh among NHL players who finished the season with at least 75 points.
Stone, traded to the Golden Knights by the Ottawa Senators on Feb. 25, had NHL career highs in goals (33), points (73), power-play points (20; six goals, 14 assists) and blocked shots (71). The 26-year-old right wing led the NHL with 122 takeaways. Stone received votes for the Selke Trophy in each of the past three seasons and finished sixth in the voting in 2016-17. He was a finalist for the Calder Memorial Trophy as the NHL rookie of the year, scoring 64 points (26 goals, 38 assists) in 2014-15.