Binnington stands tall in Montreal, proving he will not give up the Blues’ starting job easily

The St. Louis Blues won back-to-back games on back-to-back nights in Canada in large part because of the goaltending. The Blues beat the Ottawa Senators on Saturday night thanks to a Joel Hofer 41-save performance. The team then went to Montreal on Sunday night in a clash with the Canadiens and survived a late flurry to come home with a 4-3 victory, with Jordan Binnington keeping the Blues in it early. Binnington did not face the volume of shots Hofer did, but he made some key saves on opportunities that looked like sure-fire goals. After his strong start against the Canadiens' high-powered offence, Binnington does not look like he is going to give up the starting position in net without a fight.

The Canadiens came out flying in the first period, outshooting the Blues 11 to four in the frame, but it was St. Louis who opened the scoring thanks to a deflected puck that found its way to Brayden Schenn. Besides that moment, it was all Montreal for the rest of the period. Binnington looked calm in the period, was able to fight through screens to track the puck, and was the reason why the Blues were still in the game. The Canadiens were able to tie the game thanks to a Lane Hutson highlight reel goal and then took the lead in the dying minutes of the period, but if it were not for Binnington, the Blues could have been down a lot more.

The Blues were able to regain the lead early in the second period, scoring two goals in 30 seconds to kick off the frame. Binnington was able to shut the door after that. The Canadiens had a couple of great scoring chances in the period, but none were as big as Ivan Demidov’s wraparound attempt. Demidov picked up the rebound from an Oliver Kapanen shot that went wide, and with Binnington scrambling for position, the Russian winger thought he had the Blues goaltender beat. Binnington caught a glimpse of Demidov’s plan and quickly pushed himself to the post, making a spectacular toe save on the Canadiens' rookie winger. It was Binnington’s best save of the night, helping the team end the period with the lead.

After the Blues doubled their lead halfway through the third, the Canadiens turned up the pressure. Then, in the dying minutes of the third period, Blues defenceman Tyler Tucker and Canadiens forward Josh Anderson received coincidental minor penalties, making it four on four. The Canadiens pulled their goalie in an attempt to claw their way back into the game, going into full offence mode. Binnington got fooled by a Noah Dobson knuckle puck slap shot that changed direction en route to finding the back of the net. With the Blues hanging on to a one-goal lead in the dying seconds of the third, Binnington made another crucial save at the buzzer to give St. Louis the win.

The overall numbers do not depict how well Binnington played against the Canadiens. He leaves Montreal after conceding three goals with a .885 save percentage, but without him, the Blues do not leave the Bell Centre with a victory. With questions circulating about Binnington’s future in St. Louis, whether it is about the starting position or through trade, there is one thing that is certain: he will not be going without a fight. The goaltender who always seems to have a chip on his shoulder will not be giving up his mantle as the starting goalie that easily.