Anthony Cirelli Named Selke Finalist for Second Straight Season

anthony cirelli was named one of three finalists for the Frank J. Selke Trophy on Wednesday, putting the Tampa Bay Lightning center in position for his second straight run at the NHL’s top defensive-forward honor. If he wins, he would become the first Lightning player to take home the award.

Cirelli’s case

Cirelli reached the finalist stage after a season in which he produced 52 points in 71 games. He scored 23 goals and added 29 assists, while posting a career-best plus-38 rating.

He also carried a heavy workload. Cirelli led Tampa Bay with 1,075 face-offs, won 48.2 percent of them, averaged 17:19 of ice time per game and logged 2:38 short-handed per game.

Selke race

The Frank J. Selke Trophy goes to the forward voted best at the defensive aspects of the game by the Professional Hockey Writers Association. Brock Nelson of the Colorado Avalanche and Nick Suzuki of the Montreal Canadiens joined Cirelli on the finalist list.

Nelson was a first-time finalist after posting 65 points in 81 games, including 33 goals and 32 assists, while Suzuki led Montreal with 101 points in 82 games. Suzuki’s season included 29 goals, 72 assists, a plus-37 rating and 1,449 face-offs taken.

What Tampa Bay gets

The Lightning finished second in the NHL with a plus-57 goal differential and second in the Atlantic Division at 50-26-6. When Cirelli was on the ice at 5-on-5, Tampa Bay took 55.7 percent of all shot attempts, and the club ranked third on the power play at 82.6 percent.

A win would extend Cirelli’s place in the award race and break new ground for Tampa Bay. Aleksander Barkov has won the Selke Trophy each of the past two seasons, and the winner will be announced at a later date.