It took some time for St. Louis Blues goaltender Jordan Binnington to regain his 2019 form, but after the Four Nations Faceoff, he has found that confidence and that form.
As NHLRumors.com documented, Canada’s goaltending was under a microscope when entering the tournament. There was a lot of pressure on Binnington to perform because Tampa Bay Lightning and Team Canada coach Jon Cooper would stick with one guy throughout the tournament. This was the boost Binnington needed to play some of his best hockey when it really mattered most.
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“Definitely, it’s been an honor to wear this sweater and be the guy in the net,” Jordan Binnington said before the Championships Game.
Sometimes, it does not matter who you are. A player of Binnington’s status still needs someone to show confidence in you to be the guy. Current Toronto Maple Leafs head coach and former St. Louis Blues head coach Craig Berube had that confidence and belief in him in 2019. Cooper showed this same belief in 2025 at the Four Nations Faceoff.
Early on, Binnington and Team Canada had a little trouble. While they won Game 1 against Team Sweden, he gave up some goals that many analysts felt were weak. Those watching the game felt the goals scored by Jonas Brodin, Adrian Kempe, and Joel Eriksson Ek on Binnington could have been stopped. With the game heading to overtime, Binnington stepped up.
He made several key saves with Sweden pressing, including two on Mika Zibanejad and one on Kempe before Mitch Marner won the game. Without those saves, Canada would not have been in the Four Nations Face-off Championship game, and the tournament would have been completely different.
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When it mattered the most, Jordan Binnington turned back the clock to 2019. So, while he gave up bad goals, he made key saves and gave the Canadians great goaltending in the pressure moments. There was talk amongst the media that Adin Hill could start against Team USA in the first matchup, but Cooper returned to Binnington.
Was he great in the first game against Team USA? No, but he kept the Canadians in the game. Yes, the goals for Dylan Larkin and Jake Guentzel were a little soft, especially the Guentzel goal. Binnington made the saves necessary to keep his team in the game. Despite the loss, Binnington got the start against Finland and was excellent. Maybe the first goal he gave up was a little weak, but the two late goals by Mikael Granlund were good shots.
However, in the final, Binnington was solid. The goals he gave up to Brady Tkachuk and Jake Sanderson were off scrambles. He made the big saves in the big moments because he had the confidence that he was not getting pulled. With the championship game going to overtime again, Binnington raised his game. He stopped Auston Matthews three times and Brady Tkachuk another time in overtime.
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Those saves led to the overtime winner by Connor McDavid. Again, at that moment of pressure, there was Jordan Binnington. He turned back the clock and won in overtime. Without those moments, Canada would not have won. But that is who Binnington is. He will play great, but he gives up the soft goal. However, in the big moments, he gets the job done and makes the saves for his team to win.
Confidence is huge. Jon Cooper gave Jordan Binnington the confidence to lead Canada to the Four Nations Faceoff. Now, that play has carried over to the regular season for the St. Louis Blues. There is a chance with this newfound confidence, he could get traded to help a contending team win a Stanley Cup.