Jordan Binnington suspension details: Blues goaltender handed two-game ban after ejection vs. Wild

Bryan Murphy

•
Jordan Binnington suspension details: Blues goaltender handed two-game ban after ejection vs. Wild image

Stop me if you've heard this before: Jordan Binnington had a meltdown on the ice. The difference is this time around, he's paying the price. 

The Blues goaltender was ejected during the team's game against the Wild on Wednesday. As a result of his actions, Binnington has been suspended two games by the NHL Department of Player Safety. 

The 29-year-old goaltender has gained a reputation for being a bit of a hothead. Wednesday's actions aren't the first time Binnington has lost his cool this season, and they follow a pattern of previous blow-ups that have occurred during his six-year NHL career.

Binnington is in the midst of his worst statistical season to date. The 2019 Stanley Cup champion owns a 22-24-5 record with a 3.39 goals-against average and a .892 save percentage. 

NHL PLAYOFFS: Updated standings, bracket, matchups & key dates for 2022-23 season

The Sporting News has more details on the suspension for Binnington and his previous history. 

Why was Jordan Binnington suspended?

In the second period of the Blues' 8-5 loss to the Wild on March 15, Minnesota ripped off three consecutive goals in under two minutes to take a 4-3 lead.

Blues head coach Craig Berube called a timeout, and at the conclusion, Binnington began jawing at the Wild bench on his way back to the crease, the first sign of the goalie's blood starting to boil. 

MORE: Who has the most points in a single NHL season?

After St. Louis tied the game at 4-4, Wild forward Ryan Hartman put the Wild back on top a minute later with a power-play goal. As he finished the play, he skated by the crease to celebrate with his teammates. 

As he went by, Binnington was outside the crease and Hartman bumped into him, presumably by accident. That contact incensed the Blues goaltender, and he threw a punch with his blocker at Hartman's head. 

A scrum broke out between the two sides. Wild goalie Marc-Andre Fleury came down from the other end and challenged Binnington to a fight, which it appeared as though Binnington would have gladly obliged. However, the linesmen held the pair of goaltenders back and did not allow a goalie fight to break out. 

The officials reviewed the play and handed out a match penalty to Binnington, ending his night. He got a two-minute minor for leaving the crease as well. Fleury also received a two-minute minor for leaving the crease and Hartman was hit with a minor for roughing. 

As a result, the Department of Player Safety handed Binnington a two-game suspension. 

When can Jordan Binnington return?

Binnington will have to sit out St. Louis' next two games.

The Blues face the Capitals in Washington on Friday, March 17 and then return home to play the Jets on Sunday, March 19. 

The next game Binnington can play in is the contest on Tuesday, March 21 against the Red Wings in St. Louis. 

Jordan Binnington suspension history

Despite having a plethora of previous run-ins with opponents and on-ice incidents, Binnington had never been previously fined or suspended by the NHL before the recent ban. 

Earlier this year, the goalie attempted to hit Hurricanes captain Jordan Staal behind the net. It did not go in Binnington's favor. 

Two days later, the Blues goaltender was back in the headlines again. In a game against the Penguins, Binnington reached his hand out and knocked Penguins forward Jason Zucker into the boards while he was on the forecheck. He was not penalized or disciplined by Player Safety for the play against Zucker. 

MORE: How close Alex Ovechkin is to breaking Wayne Gretzky's career goal record

The next period, Binnington gave up a goal to Zucker, his fourth goal allowed of the night, and was pulled by Berube. He had some words for Zucker as he passed by the Pittsburgh bench, which resulted in a 10-minute misconduct. 

Berube was not pleased with his goaltender and called him out in his postgame presser. He said that Binnington's antics "got to stop" and called for him to "just play goal, stop the puck." 

Engaging with other team's benches is par for the course with the 29-year-old, especially when he's not performing well. In October, he briefly got into it with the Kings bench after he was pulled by Berube, having given up five goals.

In the next game, Binnington bumped into Islanders goalie Ilya Sorokin after the conclusion of the second period, a frame where he had allowed four goals. 

Binnington's most notable outburst came during the 2022 playoffs. In the second round against the Avalanche, Nazem Kadri collided with Binnington on a play in the crease. Binnington was forced out of the game and was ruled out of the playoffs. 

After the game, Kadri was doing an interview with TNT when someone threw an empty water bottle at him. It was confirmed to be Binnington, who said that it "just felt like it was a God-given opportunity."

It was not Binnington's first run-in with Kadri. In 2021, the Blues goalie took a swipe at the then-Avalanche forward with his stick. It went unpunished by the NHL. 

That same year, Binnington faked a punch at San Jose defenseman Erik Karlsson's direction before getting into a brief scuffle with goalie Devan Dubnyk. Binnington was leaving the ice as he had been pulled for his poor performance.

With the Department of Player Safety coming down harsher on Binnington for the incident with Hartman, perhaps the antics will stop, or at the very least, become less frequent. 

Bryan Murphy

Bryan Murphy Photo

Bryan Murphy joined The Sporting News in 2022 as the NHL/Canada content producer. Previously he worked for NBC Sports on their national news desk reporting on breaking news for the NFL, MLB, NBA and NHL, in addition to covering the 2020 and 2022 Olympic Games. A graduate of Quinnipiac University, he spent time in college as a beat reporter covering the men’s ice hockey team.