If there was one thing the St. Louis Blues could count on was their rock-solid goaltending. Jordan Binnington, while not exactly a Vezina Trophy candidate, could always be counted on to save the day.
Binnington proved that last season at the 4 Nations Face-Off for Team Canada. Questions arose regarding Canada’s choice for Binnington as their starter. But when it mattered most, Binnington was the star.
Binnington proved the same thing during last spring’s first-round series against the Winnipeg Jets. Binnington actually outplayed the current Vezina Trophy winner, Connor Hellebuyck. Hellebuyck looked mortal while Binnington looked invincible.
The Blues’ starter hit the ice for 56 games last season, winning 28, and sporting a 2.69 GAA to go with a .900 SV% and three shutouts. That’s not bad for a goalie backstopping a team no one picked to make the playoffs.
Then, there was Joel Hofer. Hofer came into his own last season, playing in 31 games and posting a 2.64 GAA and .904 SV%. The Blues were so high on Hofer this past summer that they inked him as soon as they could to a contract extension. The reason? Hofer was a prime offer sheet candidate.
Instead of risking Hofer jumping ship, they paid him.
Please notice the use of the past tense in the previous description. That’s because things have taken a drastic turn this season. The Blues’ goaltending has gone from a significant source of strength to a potential pitfall.
Binnington, for his part, has bad numbers. In seven games, he’s posted a 3.12 GAA and an awful .872 SV%. Hofer, meanwhile, has fared even worse. Hofer’s atrocious 5.81 GAA and .793 SV% are the stuff nightmares of made of.
That situation has landed the Blues 32nd in the league in SV% at .844, and 31st with a 4.33 GAA. Only the San Jose Sharks have a worse goals-against-average thus far.
So, fans have to ask themselves what the problem is. Is it the team in front of Binnington and Hofer? Is it the goalie tandem itself? Is it a stronger caliber of opponents? Is it just bad luck?
The short answer is to blame the goalies themselves. They haven’t been on their game so far this season. But the broader answer is that it’s all of the above. We’ve seen the Blues play lax defense at times, to the detriment of their goalies. We’ve also seen high-quality opponents take advantage of mental lapses.
But then again, there’s one truly concerning number. The Blues have surrendered the second-fewest shots in the league at 195. The Flyers are the only team that has given up fewer shots this season. So, how is it that the Blues have given up the third-most goals this season?
It seems that all of the above-mentioned answers have contributed to painting a bleak picture for the Blues’ goaltending.
The solution, it appears, could be a far more complex one. But at this point, I would venture out to suggest a reset is needed. Perhaps calling up Georgii Romanov for a couple of starts would serve to give Binnington and Hofer a hard reset.
It’s either that or trading one of them. Take your pick.