Alexander Ovechkin of the Capitals is a finalist for a second straight Hart Trophy as the NHL?s most valuable player, according to an Associated Press report. Evgeni Malkin of the Penguins and Pavel Datsyuk of the Red Wings were also among the finalists announced by the league Wednesday. The winner will be announced June 18 at the NHL awards show in Las Vegas. RealGM Note: In terms of our season IIC metric, Datsyuk was ranked 2nd, Malkin was 7th and Ovechkin was 68th. Mike Green was ranked first overall and Tim Thomas was the highest ranked goalie.

Niklas Backstrom of the Wild, Steve Mason of the Blue Jackets and Tim Thomas of the Bruins are the finalists for the Vezina Trophy as the NHL?s top goaltender, according to an Associated Press report. The league announced the finalists in a statement Monday.

Martin Brodeur tied Patrick Roy's NHL record for playoff shutouts, making 44 saves in the Devils 1-0 win over the Hurricanes on Thursday night, as reported by AFP. David Clarkson scored a power-play goal in helping Brodeur post his 23rd postseason shutout and win the duel with Cam Ward, who stopped 41 shots. With a 3-2 lead in the series, New Jersey can eliminate the Hurricanes on Sunday in Carolina.

Los Angeles Kings defenseman Drew Doughty will represent Canada at the 2009 IIHF World Championship tournament, the Kings today announced in conjunction with Hockey Canada. The World Championship tournament is scheduled for April 24 ? May 10 in Switzerland. Doughty, 19, will be making his first appearance at the World Championships. The 6-1, 203-pound native of London, Ontario, last skated with Team Canada at the 2008 World Junior Championships, bringing home a gold medal while also earning Top Defenseman of the tournament honors while recording four assists in seven games. He was just the fifth Canadian defenseman to win the award and the first to win the award before being drafted into the NHL. Doughty also skated with Team Canada at the 2007 World Under-18 Championships and the 2006 World Under-17 Championships. For the Kings this past season, Doughty played in 81 games and led the Kings in time-on-ice with an average of 23:49 per game. He logged at least 20 minutes of ice time in 76 of his 81 games and his time-on-ice average led all rookies in the NHL. Doughty also tied for first among rookie NHL blue-liners in assists (21) and points (27) while also tying for second in goals (six) and blocked shots (114). In addition, Doughty?s six goals tied for the team lead among Kings? defensemen and his 21 assists and 27 points both ranked second among team blue-liners. For his efforts, Doughty was named Both the Kings? Outstanding Defenseman and Best Newcomer (Mark Bavis Memorial Award) this past Saturday. Doughty, who participated in the YoungStars event as part of the 2009 NHL All-Star Weekend in Montreal last January, was originally selected by the Kings in the first-round (2nd overall) of the 2008 NHL Entry Draft.

Bruins goalies Tim Thomas and Manny Fernandez earned the William Jennings Trophy for allowing the fewest goals this season. Boston finished with the NHL's fewest goals against (196), edging the second-place Minnesota (200).

Capitals winger Alex Ovechkin took home his second straight Maurice Richard Trophy for scoring more goals than any other player this season. Ovechkin netted 56 goals, 10 more than second-place finisher Jeff Carter of the Flyers, and became the first NHL goal-scoring leader in consecutive seasons since Pavel Bure of the Panthers (2000 and 2001).

Evgeni Malkin secured the Art Ross Trophy, the NHL?s regular-season scoring title, with a goal in the Penguins? 3-1 season-ending victory over the Canadiens on Saturday, as reported by the Associated Press. His 35th goal of the season gave Malkin 113 points, leaving him three points ahead of fellow Russian Alex Ovechkin of the Capitals.

Canadiens right wing Alex Kovalev, Blackhawks goaltender Nikolai Khabibulin and Blues center David Backes were named the NHL?s ?Three Stars? of the Week on Monday, as reported by Yahoo.com. Kovalev was named the first star after leading all players last week with nine points as the Canadiens went 3-0-0 and moved closer to clinching a playoff spot.