Blues captain Brayden Schenn lauds Jordan Binnington with high praise after 31-save performance in 4 Nations

By Mike Whitaker

Modified Feb 22, 2025 04:53 GMT

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Team Canada claimed supremacy on the international stage after their 3-2 overtime victory over Team USA on Thursday night at TD Garden in Boston in the 4 Nations Face-Off tournament.

Jordan Binnington had a clutch performance in goal as he made 31 saves on 33 shots - including robbing Team USA captain Auston Matthews in overtime shortly before Connor McDavid's winning goal.

While Binnington has battled inconsistency with the St. Louis Blues this season, his teammates, whom he won the Stanley Cup with in 2019, knew that he had that kind of performance still in him.

Blues captain Brayden Schenn referenced the point-blank save that Binnington made on Matthews in overtime, along with another key save on Brady Tkachuk.

"Just knew he wasn't going to lose in that building in a one-gamer," Brayden Schenn said. "But 'Binner,' back in his element and looked calm, made the big saves, a couple big (ones) early and obviously stepped up in overtime and helped them win. He just gets in those in-the-zone moments. It feels like he's not going to be beat. Just that point-blank save on Matthews who's, whatever, I'll call him a top-three goal-scorer in the League with a slot chance, the save on Brady (Tkachuk)."

Schenn continued:

"It just felt like he was in a zone and when you make some saves like that, big boys on his team obviously feel like he's giving his team a chance to win and it just takes one chance and for [Connor] McDavid, [Nathan] MacKinnon, [Sidney] Crosby, guys like these, and they were able to put it in."

Binnington will now shift his attention to trying to help the Blues avoid another year on the outside looking in at the playoffs.

Jordan Binnington has battled inconsistency with the Blues this season

The Blues have been inconsistent this season and are outside of a playoff spot due to an inability to string together wins.

Earlier in the season, they terminated coach Drew Bannister (who was named head coach last season after the firing of Craig Berube) and hired Jim Montgomery.

Binnington's numbers haven't been the best. Through 39 games played in 2024-25, he's gone 15-19-4 with a 2.89 goals-against average and a .896 save percentage.

If the Blues are to avoid another year of no postseason, Binnington will have to turn in more performances like the one that helped Canada to victory on Thursday.