St. Louis Blues: Who is the best goalie tandem in the NHL and why isn’t your answer Binnington and Hofer?
Goaltending is the backbone of any hockey team. They are the last line of defense. Quick hands and great eyesight allow them to react quickly and make fast decisions, especially needed when a hard rubber missile is coming at them at over 90 miles per hour. Without a good-to-great goalie to make or break the game, teams will not be successful. So how do the Blues tandem stack up?
When you look back at the goaltending stats for the 2023-24 season you see that the goaltending for the Blues was top third overall. Defensively the Blues were not very good under Craig Berube for the first 28 games of the season and the goaltenders were asked to stand on their head. However, under Drew Bannister the defense tightened up and the Jordan Binnington and Joel Hofer pair were better than most.
Here are some stats: Under Berube - Binnington played in 21 of the first 28 games of the season and had a goals against average of 3.10 with a save percentage of .907. Hofer played in 10 of the first 28 games and had a 3.19 goals against average with a save percentage of .893. Both ranked in the bottom half of all goaltenders.
Under Bannister – Binnington played in 36 of the final 54 games with a goals against average of 2.70 and a save percentage of .916 (top 10). Hofer was even better with a 2.42 (top eight) goals against average in 20 games and a .922 (top 3) save percentage. Other than the Florida Panthers (Stanley Cup Champs), the Blues were the only team with both goalies in the top 10 in save percentage. And other than the Panthers and the Edmonton Oilers (Stanley Cup Finalist) the Blues were the only team with both goalies in the top 15 in goals against.
Binnington (or Winnington as the fans like to call him) had a bounce back season and seemingly returned to 2019 form and he played well for Team Canada recently. He hates to lose and plays his heart out every night…typically the best player on the ice. He will be even better in the 2024-25 season. Hofer established himself as a reliable backup (which every team needs) and he brings youth and poise to the position. The defense in front of these two will still be the key to a playoff run that we all are hoping for this season.
So other than Florida and Edmonton (and they primarily rely on one goalie)…I say there isn’t a better goalie pair in the NHL…thoughts?
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