Elite and reliable goaltending is the single most important thing in today’s NHL, as league-wide save percentage continues to drop year after year; having someone you trust between the pipes is a huge asset for any team. A quality netminder can mask team shortcomings in other areas of the ice, steal games you have no business winning, and, as the Blues should know as well as anyone, lead a team to the Stanley Cup. Entering this season, conventional wisdom suggested that the Blues had one of, if not the best, goalie tandems in the league with Jordan Binnington and Joel Hofer.
As any fan can testify, what we saw to start the season was the complete opposite. Coming into last night’s game, the Blues tandem was last in the league with a dismal 9.92 goals saved below expected according to MoneyPuck. This has been the single biggest problem facing this team, and is the cause of the team’s disastrous start to the 2025-26 campaign, one that began with high expectations and excitement. Of course, people have a plethora of reasons why this is the case: poor defense, bad puck luck, cursed jerseys, etc. Eventually, Binnington and Hofer need to step up and make some big saves.
Thankfully, Jordan Binnington decided to come through in a big way against the Edmonton Oilers to break a seven-game losing streak. Binner had another pedestrian start to the game, at one point allowing two goals on nine shots on goal through the first half of the game. Most fans would be forgiven for thinking this was going to be yet another loss due to the Blues' failure to capitalize in key moments, but as it turned out, the Blues were not destined to tie the franchise record losing streak. Following Dvorsky’s first NHL goal with four minutes left in the second, Jordan decided to return to being the clutch game-stealing goalie we have known for years. He stopped the final 17 shots from a potent Oilers offense, allowing the Blues to claw their way back into the game and eventually seal a win in the final minutes. Binnington made multiple momentum-generating saves in the third period during some lengthy stretches of Edmonton offensive-zone pressure, allowing the team to make changes and get back on the attack with fresh legs.
Binnington finished the night saving 26 of 28 shots with 0.92 goals saved above expected per ESPN and MoneyPuck. He received great support from his defensemen and forwards for most of the night, with the Blues blocking 21 shots and doing a good job of clearing the puck from the front of the net to prevent rebound opportunities. With this missing piece finally clicking, the Blues looked like the team we expected them to be before the season started. If Binnington’s quality play can continue and Hofer can bring an end to his slump, there’s no reason the Blues can’t right the ship and get back to their winning ways in the coming weeks. As it has been for years, the fate of this team lies in the hands of Jordan Binnington and Joel Hofer, and based on last night, there’s still reason to be optimistic.