Jordan Binngton has had some brainfarts – but Canada’s offense needs to wake up, too
Believe it or not, Jordan Binnington has played plenty of great hockey for Canada at the 4 Nations Face-Off.
Between everything he did after the third goal against Sweden and throughout most of the game against the United States, the St. Louis Blues goaltender has saved Canada’s bacon more than a few times. His ability to make big saves on in-close, high-danger chances has been commendable, really.
But it’s the times that he hasn’t that have been concerning.
Binnington had a perfect record when it came to high-danger chances against the United States last night. But a low-danger shot on the first goal and a medium-danger chance on the second ultimately put Canada in a spot they could never recover from.
Connor Hellebuyck was just better, simple as that.
“He’s swimming around too much,” an NHL scout said about Binnington during Saturday’s game. “He hasn’t looked comfortable. Jumpy, really. He looks too nervous.”
Go back and look at the two goals he allowed to the Americans. He didn’t look ready for either of them. Neither play came out of nowhere, like a re-direction or on a rebound. Of the five goals allowed through two games, Binnington has allowed just one on a high-danger chance.
But has Binnington really failed Canada? Two things can be true: some subpar moments have resulted in Canada losing out on valuable points; and, maybe, he needs a bit more support out there, too. Binnington allowed two below-average goals, but Canada only scored one goal to begin with. Good luck trying to beat the Americans 1-0.
Canada didn’t enter the tournament with elite goaltending like the United States. There was always a sense they’d need to outscore their concerns in net. But after losing Shea Theodore to an injury and Cale Makar to an injury, Canada suddenly found themselves having to overcome another issue: defensive depth.
Would Canada have played better with a healthy blueline on Saturday? Absolutely. Did they get shut down by an even stronger blueline? You betcha. And that’s something Binnington can’t be blamed for.
Canada has faced two teams with elite level defenders, and one of them just happened to get the better of them. Canada’s high-flying offense has shown some spectacular flashes, but they’re going up against elite world talent on the back and just haven’t figured out how to blow things out of the water just yet.
Here’s a stat for you: with an assist on Connor McDavid’s goal last night, Binnington is tied for third in team scoring. Here Canada is, with plenty of high-end goal-scorers to choose from, and there isn’t a single multi-goal goal-scorer, and just McDavid and Sidney Crosby have managed to put up multiple points so far. Even Crosby wasn’t that effective against the States.
Sam Reinhart scored 57 goals last year and could crack 50 again this year. But through two games, he has zero points, and didn’t even register a shot against the Americans. Nathan MacKinnon scored the opening goal less than a minute into the first game, but then looked invisible against the United States. Brayden Point is another notable still looking to beat a goaltender at some point.
Binnington has shown multiple times in this tournament that he can come up big after allowing a poor goal. But it’s the frequency of those poor goals that’s concerning. Fans were on Binnington’s case right off the bat after he allowed his first goal against Sweden, which may have been a bit premature. But it’s not a good sight when you keep putting your team in a position to be otherworldly with the puck to make up for some of the goals going in.
Bad goals happen, and in a short event like this, they’re amplified. But it’s not like Canada has a Carey Price to turn to in a time like this – both Adin Hill and Samuel Montembeault have had their struggles this year. Binnington is just the most experienced of the bunch, and Canada’s coaching staff – namely Jon Cooper – have put their support behind him so far.
But go watch the Canada/USA game again. Binnington got out-goalie’d, for sure. But the United States played one heck of a hockey game. They shut down MacKinnon, Crosby, Reinhart, Mark Stone and just about anyone not named McDavid. With all of Canada’s talent, they were limited to just 26 shots and were forced to juggle lines in a frenzy to try and generate something in the third period.
The reality is Canada isn’t going to be able to steamroll teams like they used to anymore. And that doesn’t mean Canada took a step backward – it means everyone else has started to catch up. Especially the United States, who Canada will have to face again if they’re going to come away with the gold.
No matter what country you cheer for, you can’t look at Canada’s roster and not marvel at the talent. But they simply haven’t looked like the better team in much of their two games so far.
Canada will play Finland in essentially a must-win-in-regulation situation for both teams. Cooper has time to figure out what to do in net before Monday. Was there a legitimate argument to have Hill start over Binnington in the first place? For sure. But it’s also fair to say it’s risky to go to Hill against the Finns, given it would be his first start in 11 days when he made faced just 15 shots against New Jersey. In fact, he’s boasting a 5-4-2 record since Jan. 1 – he hasn’t been particualrly good despite playing on a significantly better team than Binnington.
Maybe, just maybe, this isn’t all on the goaltending, and that the loaded support needs to start showing their muscle at some point if they’re going to have what it takes to win gold. It doesn’t get easier from here.
Daily Faceoff Live is on the road! From February 10th to 20th, we’re bringing you live shows every weekday straight from Four Nations, delivering exclusive coverage, insider analysis, and all the tournament action as it unfolds. Don’t miss a beat—subscribe to the Daily Faceoff YouTube channel and follow us on social for the latest updates. It’s international hockey, so expect intensity, excitement, and maybe even a little chaos. Stay locked in and catch us live from Four Nations!