MARYLAND HEIGHTS, Mo. — There’s something about the big spotlight that never seems to faze Jordan Binnington.
The St. Louis Blues goalie will be playing his third career Game 7 in the NHL on Sunday against the Winnipeg Jets in the series finale of the Western Conference First Round at Canada Life Centre in Winnipeg (7 p.m. ET; CBC, TVAS, SN, TBS, MAX, FDSNMW).
Binnington is 2-0 in Game 7s, winning twice in 2019 when the Blues won the Stanley Cup, which included victories over current Blues coach Jim Montgomery’s Dallas Stars in the second round and the Boston Bruins in the Cup Final.
Including those games, and the recent championship game of the 4 Nations Face-Off representing Canada, which defeated the United States 3-2 in overtime, Binnington has stopped 92 of 96 shots with a 1.18 goals-against average and .958 save percentage. He has a 0.82 GAA and .968 save percentage in two Game 7s.
And that’s why Montgomery, who lost 2-1 in double overtime to Binnington when he made 29 saves against the Stars on May 7, 2019, is as confident as ever with the 31-year-old when the stakes are this high.
“Two words that come to mind right away is how calm he is and proven winner,” Montgomery said. “He’s done it, he’s been there, he knows how to not only get himself in the right zone, but also how to give confidence to his team in front of him.”
Blues captain Brayden Schenn saw it firsthand in the 2019 Stanley Cup Final against the Bruins when Binnington made a number of high-danger saves in the first period to give the Blues enough life and breathing room to settle into the game; they led that game 2-0 before going on to win the Cup for the first time with a 4-1 victory behind 32 saves from Binnington.
There’s no other goalie Schenn would rather play in front of in this instance.
“No. I can say that fully with what he did in 2019,” Schenn said. “He’s our guy, he’s a special human and he gets up for big moments and he was great again [in a 5-2 win in Game 6 on Friday].”
This will be Blues defenseman Cam Fowler‘s first time playing with Binnington in a Game 7, but the 33-year-old knows from past experience playing against him when he was with the Anaheim Ducks just how mentally and physically tough it is to crack Binnington, especially in big games. He saw that firsthand when the Blues needed a win in their final game of the regular season to secure the second wild card into the playoffs from the West when they defeated Utah Hockey Club 6-1, and Binnington made 22 saves.
“His track record speaks for itself,” Fowler said. “He was unbelievable when they won the Cup here. You saw what he could do in the 4 Nations tournament this year as a world-class goaltender, so we have all the trust and faith in him. And his demeanor, too. He’s calm, he’s collected back there.
“[Defenseman Philip Broberg] spoke to the way he can move the puck, and how that helps us as D-men. It puts us in a lot of good situations that help us move the puck up the ice. He’s the total package. He’s a huge reason why we are where we are and we’ll continue to lean on him because he’s shown everybody time and time again that he’s world class.”
