The biggest issue for the St. Louis Blues this season has been goaltending. For years, the Blues have been able to rely on Jordan Binnington in between the pipes. Over his career, he has posted a .906 save percentage and a 2.79 goals-against average. However, this season has not gone the way Binnington had hoped. In 18 games, he has a .878 save percentage and a 3.20 goals against average. Things came to a head during the Monday game against the Ducks when he was pulled during the first period after allowing two goals.
The Blues are at a point where Binnington can no longer be their number-one goaltender. He is no longer the goalie he was at the beginning of his career, and it's costing the Blues games. This opens the door for backup netminder Joel Hofer to steal the starting job. But is naming Hofer the starting goalie enough to turn the season around?
Can promoting Joel Hofer turn the season around?
At first glance, Hofer does not inspire much confidence. In 13 games this season, he has a save percentage of .882 and a goals-against average of 3.29. While his save percentage is better than Binnington's, it's not at the level of an NHL-caliber goaltender. It's tough to win in this league when your goal does not have a save percentage above .900. You need your offense to be a top-five unit in the league, which is not the case for the Blues.
However, these stats are a bit misleading. They are being held back by an abysmal month of October for Hofer. Since the calendar flipped to November, he has stepped up his game. In seven games, he has a goals against average of 2.53 and a .910 save percentage. He also looked decent in relief in Monday's game against the Ducks, stopping 19 of the 20 shots he faced.
His advanced metrics also show that he's more than capable of being the starting goalie. According to Moneypuck, he has an xGoals allowed of 35.28, which is 1.7 points below the number of goals he's actually allowed. He also has an x-goals against average of 3.14 and a x-save percentage on unblocked shots of .948%. These numbers show that Hofer has been playing better than his traditional stats indicate.
With how well Hofer has been playing recently, he's earned a shot at being the starting goalie. It's clear that Binnington has regressed and can no longer carry the team like he once did. Giving Hofer the reins gives the Blues a much better chance at winning games. It could be the move that helps the team string some wins together and save this season from being a lost one.
Although it's hard to bench a franchise icon like Binnington, head coach Jim Montgomery has to do what's best for the team. If they have any hope of salvaging this season, it starts with Hofer getting more starts.