ONE DAY AT A TIME
Blues rookie goalie sensation Jordan Binnington is doing his best to ‘live in the moment’
DALLAS — Jordan Binnington is well past the pinch-me stage of this storybook season.
While many rookies in this situation may have crumbled under the pressure, the St. Louis Blues goalie just seems to find ways to build on a rookie campaign that is becoming more impressive by the day.
Binnington isn’t the type of guy who relishes the media spotlight, but he’s not about to be overwhelmed by the spotlight either.
He’s got the perfect demeanour for his position and is one of the main reasons the Blues are up 2-1 in their Central Division series with the Dallas Stars, with Game 4 set for Wednesday at American Airlines Center.
Asked on Tuesday afternoon to pause for reflection on what must be a wild ride to be on, Binnington simply wasn’t ready to go down that road — knowing full well he can think about that whenever the Stanley Cup playoffs are over.
“It’s been really non-stop. I haven’t really had much time to reflect,” said Binnington, who was chosen by the Blues in the third round, 88th overall, of the 2011 NHL Draft. “But it’s been a lot of fun. I’m just trying to enjoy day-byday, live in the moment, enjoy the experience. That’s kind of what I’ve been focusing on.”
Binnington, 25, is more than happy to have others discuss the dramatic turn of events surrounding his career.
He’s got more important things to worry about, like keeping the puck out of the net.
“Just focus on my job. Nothing changes. It’s the same game. I just want to feel prepared for each game and that’s where I start,” said Binnington, who was asked if he made any technical changes over the course of last summer. “No, nothing in particular. I think just matured, got some experience, found myself and found what was important to me. I’ve been working pretty hard, so I’m happy with where I’m at.”
When this season began, Binnington was fourth on the Blues’ positional depth chart and was just one year removed from being loaned to the Providence Bruins, back when the Blues had a shared affiliation situation and only one goalie position available to them, but already belonged to prospect Ville Husso.
The Blues had a full affiliation with the San Antonio Rampage this season and Binnington got off to a great start, going 11-4 with a 2.08 goals-against average and .927 save % in 16 games.
With Jake Allen struggling, the Blues recalled Binnington and the rest, as they say, is history.
By the time the regular season had come to a close, Binnington had helped the Blues resurrect their season and finish with 99 points.
Among the highlights from his rookie campaign was a personal nine-game winning streak and being named a finalist for the Calder Trophy.
The numbers were gaudy, as Binnington played 32 games and finished 24-5-1, with a .927 save % and 1.98 goals-against average that was the lowest in the NHL.
“He always finds a way to rebound and stay with it. I’ve noticed that during games where some goals go in on him or whatever and he shuts the door after that,” said Blues head coach Craig Berube. “And again, it’s mental. He stays with it and gives us a good opportunity to win games.
“He put in two real good seasons in the minors where he was a winning goalie and it’s obviously carried over to the NHL.”
When your goalie plays with confidence and is constantly coming up with saves like Binnington has, the Blues never feel like any deficit is too big to overcome.
“He’s composed and quietly goes about his business and mentally prepares himself,” said Blues forward Alex Steen. “He has a lot of trust in his game and how solid he is as a goaltender. And that spreads throughout the group. He’s been playing terrific for us.”
The ability to stay calm under pressure is not a new development for Binnington, who showcased the same trait back in 2013-14, when he was a first year pro with the Kalamazoo Wings of the ECHL.
“I just think of the fact he was so calm all of the time. Nothing rattled them,” Wings head coach Nick Bootland said in a telephone interview. “It was so easy for him to play his game and be that quiet leader and have that ability to settle a game down easily. It was truly amazing for a young man.”
But could Bootland have predicted this type of run for Binnington back in the day?
“I thought he had the ability. At the time, he was the best affiliated goaltender that we ever had,” said Bootland. “So we had seen something in the pedigree and the type of person that he was. Was I saying he’d be doing this? No, I’d be crazy to say that he’d have the success he had and have the nickname Winnington right now.
“But the pedigree was there, the work ethic was there and you knew that as he matured, that he was going to be successful, for sure.”
That success followed Binnington to the American Hockey League and eventually to the NHL, beginning with a 25-save shutout in his season debut against the Philadelphia Flyers on Jan. 7.
“We saw it early on. From his first start, it was a tough time in the season for us and for a young guy, (with) not a ton of experience,” said Blues defenceman Robert Bortuzzo. “We could see that there was something there, and he’s another guy that carries himself with a quiet confidence. It’s very impressive to see what he’s done.”