The St. Louis Blues are stumbling out of the gate to start the 2025-26 season, and one of the biggest storylines isn’t hard to spot - it’s between the pipes.
Goaltending, once a strength for this team, has become a glaring question mark. Both Jordan Binnington and Joel Hofer are posting save percentages south of .885, and in today’s NHL, that’s simply not going to get it done.
Binnington, in particular, is under the microscope - and not just because of the numbers. In the Blues’ latest game against the Anaheim Ducks, he was pulled after giving up two goals in the first 10:24.
The second one, a long-range shot from Pavel Mintyukov, was the kind of goal that makes you wince - poor angle, soft coverage, and a puck that just can’t find the back of the net in that situation. It did.
As he left the ice, Binnington made headlines for more than just his play. He exchanged words with head coach Jim Montgomery - a heated moment that played out in front of the cameras. But if you ask Binnington, it’s already in the rearview mirror.
“Honestly, I’m not even thinking about it. It is what it is,” he said postgame.
“My instinct in the moment is I wasn’t happy, and I got 50 minutes left of energy, excitement to play. So, I let it out a little bit on my way off the ice.
I’m not really worried about it anymore, to be honest. You’ve got to live in the moment, and you know that about me.”
That “live in the moment” mindset has always been part of Binnington’s makeup - fiery, emotional, and unfiltered. It’s part of what’s made him a fan favorite and, at times, a polarizing figure.
Jordan Binnington has some words for Jim Montgomery after getting pulled early in the 1st pic.twitter.com/CSAXoxsdNB
— Gateway Grinders (@gatewaygrinders) December 2, 2025
But it’s also what’s helped him rise to the occasion when the lights are brightest. Just last year, he was the backbone of Team Canada’s run at the 4 Nations Face-Off, stealing games and reminding the hockey world of what he can be when he’s locked in.
Montgomery, for his part, didn’t shy away from the incident - and made it clear there’s no lingering tension between coach and goalie.
“You know, I love Jordan Binnington. He's a competitor, he raises his [game] in the big moments all the time.
I love him. He walked off the ice, he said, ‘I love you.'
I said, ‘I love you too,’” Montgomery said. “We're both competitors by nature, and at the end of the period, he waited for me, we apologized, we moved on.
It's over and done with.”
That kind of mutual respect - even in the heat of a rough night - says a lot about the dynamic in the Blues’ locker room. But respect doesn’t win games.
Goaltending does. And right now, the Blues need Binnington to find that next gear again.
There’s no question about his ability - we’ve seen it before. But with the team struggling out of the gate and the Central Division as competitive as ever, the margin for error is razor-thin.
If the Blues are going to right the ship, it starts in net. And it starts with Binnington.
The next start could be a pivotal one - not just for him, but for the trajectory of this Blues season.