The Blues are coming off a tough 3-2 overtime loss in Game 1 of their second-round series to the Avalanche. While it was a one-goal game on the scoreboard, there was only reason why the team was even close to stealing a win in Denver and his name is Jordan Binnington.
The 28-year-old goaltender has had an up-and-down season, but has come through for the Blues when it has mattered most. He made 51 saves on 54 shots faced, keeping the Blues' in a game that they were thoroughly dominated in.
While Ville Husso started the playoffs as St. Louis' netminder, the club has turned to Binnington instead. After falling behind 2-1 in their first-round series against the Wild, coach Craig Berube went with Binnington in Game 4 and the goalie rattled off three straight wins, helping the team advance to the second round.
The Blues face an uphill battle in the second round, going against a dangerous Avalanche team. Colorado scored at least five goals in three of their four first-round contests, carrying a deep and dominant offensive group.
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If there was one takeaway from last night's game, it is that for the Blues to be competitive in the series, they need Binnington at his best. They need the 2019 version of their goaltender, when he helped them win the Stanley Cup.
Binnington was fantastic during the team's run three years ago, but has struggled in the two postseasons since, going winless in nine starts over the last two years.
He's already snapped that trend with three wins against Minnesota, but St. Louis is going to need Binnington to continue to bring his A-game if they want to advance past Colorado.
How good was Jordan Binnington in 2019?
Everyone knows the story of the 2018-19 Blues. If you don't, quick recap:
The team sat in last place in the league on Jan. 3, dead in the water. They had fired Mike Yeo in November and replaced him with Craig Berube, but still weren't getting anywhere. On the night of Jan. 6, some of the team went to a bar in Philadelphia, told the DJ to play Laura Branigan's "Gloria!" over and over again and won the next day.
Flash forward six months later, and St. Louis was hoisting the Stanley Cup at TD Garden, fresh off defeating the Bruins in Game 7.
It's no coincidence that the goaltender in that Jan. 7 contest was Binnington, making his first appearance with the team that season. His 25-save shutout was a foreshadow of things to come.
Binnington went on a tear the rest of the regular season, securing the starting position over Jake Allen while posting a record of 24-5-1 with a 1.89 GAA and a .927 SV%. The Blues finished third in the Central Division, securing a playoff spot.
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While Ryan O'Reilly ended up the Conn Smythe winner, it very easily could have gone to Binnginton. The goalie became the first rookie to secure 16 wins in a single postseason, ending the playoffs with a 2.46 GAA and a .914 SV%. It's safe to say without Binnington, there's a chance St. Louis would have been watching the playoffs from their couches at home.
What were Binnington's stats this season?
The 2021-22 regular season season was not an overly successful one for Binnington.
With the emergence of Husso, Binnington found himself getting less and less starts as the year went on. The two starting splitting duties in net by January and by March, Husso had become the clear No. 1, getting 10 starts to Binnington's four.
During the months of January, February and March, the goalie went 4-7-1 in 12 games with a GAA of 3.64 and a SV% of .886. Not good at all for a team in position to make the postseason.
Binnington turned things around in April, ending the season on a high note by going 5-1-0 with a GAA of 2.52 and a SV% of .916 in his final six starts. It wasn't enough for him to earn the crease back for Game 1, but it put enough faith in the coaching staff that they eventually turned to him in the playoffs.
