Flyers center Sean Couturier finished second to Kings center Anze Kopitar for the Frank J. Selke Trophy as the NHL’s top defensive forward presented Wednesday night in Las Vegas.
Couturier was looking to become the third Flyer to win the award after Dave Poulin in 1987 and Bobby Clarke in 1983.
The Flyers' top center was edged out by Kopitar, who also won the award in 2016. Four-time Selke winner Patrice Bergeron was third after missing a significant time with a broken foot.
Kopitar finished with 1,152 points with 70 first-place votes to Couturier’s 976 and 37 first-place votes.
Couturier elevated his game in 2017-18, proving to be one of the best all-around centers in the league, scoring 31 goals with 76 points while also finishing third in the NHL with a plus-34 rating.
Kopitar and Couturier also finished 1-2 in minutes played among forwards.
