It's getting late early for the St. Louis Blues, as they dropped another game by multiple goals last night--this time to the Detroit Red Wings. With that loss, the Blues record sits at 3-6-1, and they are last in the Central Division with a mere seven (7!) standings points.
A major reason for their poor record? Atrocious goaltending--most surprisingly from Jordan Binnington.
According to Money Puck, Binnington's -4.3 Goals Saved Above Expected (GSAx) is the sixth worst in the league (and Joel Hofer's third worst with -6.1 GSAx). Binnginton's got a 2-4-1 record, .863 SV%, and 3.27 Goals Against Average (GAA). That is abysmal, and no team would be winning hockey games with a goalie playing like that.
Could Binnington's subpar play cost him the starting job for Team Canada at the Olympics in a few months?
It wasn't so long ago that Binnington carried Team Canada to a victory at the Four Nations tournament last February, beating Team USA in a thrilling final. That performance should've made him the favorite to start for Canada again in the Olympics, but if he keeps playing this poorly, he may lose the job.
The only saving grace for Binnington is that Canada has a dearth of quality goaltenders in general; the other two Canadian goalies in the Four Nations were the Montreal Canadiens' Sam Montembault and the Vegas Golden Knights' Adin Hill, neither of whom is a particularly exceptional goalie. Montembault's -6.3 GSAx is the second worst in the league, and he carries an awful .842 SV% and 3.82 GAA; Hill is a little better, with -0.2 GSAx and an .888 SV%, though he's often injured.
For now, Binnginton's roster spot on Team Canada is likely safe, and he still might be the favorite to be the starter--it's not like there are many threats chasing him from the crease. Still, that's not exactly a ringing endorsement for Binnginton, and Canada may be fighting an uphill battle at the Olympics if he's their starter. He'll have to turn it around soon, though, if he's going to be "the guy" representing his country between the pipes.