The St. Louis Blues played their final home game of the season last night, defeating the Pittsburgh Penguins 7-5 and improving their record to 36-33-12. On Thursday, they play their final game of the season on the road against the playoff-bound Utah Mammoth. Out of the playoffs is not where the Blues were expected--or wanted--to be, and it's going to force some difficult conversations this summer. Namely, what to do with Jordan Binnington, who started last night's game in front of a sold out crowd. It may've been his last in a Blues sweater.
The good news is that, if you want to give a franchise veteran a big send off, the Blues certainly succeeded in that regard. It's not been an easy season for the goaltenders in St. Louis, and Binnington's poor play this season earned him the dubious honor of "worst goalie in the league" with a minus-22.4 Goals Saved Above expected (GSAx), per Money Puck. Things didn't start well for the Blues, going down 4-1 early in the second period--but then, his teammates showed up, and the Blues entered the second intermission with the score tied at 4 goals a piece.
Early in the third, the Blues gave themselves a two goal cushion but, ever the entertainers, let the Penguins get one back to bring the score to 6-5. It wouldn't be enough, and the Blues would ultimately emerge victorious with a whopping seven goals.
Down and out early, and having to claw your way out of the hole to win? If that isn't the Jordan Binnington story, we don't know what is: a depth goalie in 2018-19, called up when the Blues were last in the NHL, shuts out the Philadelphia Flyers, and carries the team all the way to a Stanley Cup Championship. It's only fitting that his potential final game with the Blues mirrored his own ascendance in the league.
Maybe Binnington is back next year, in a tandem with Joel Hofer; maybe he rediscovers his game and plays out his contract as a pseudo-starter with the Blues. Either way, he's embodied an underdog mentality that endeared himself to St. Louis fans--and last night, much like in 2019, the underdogs found a way to win.
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