'He's A Gamer': Canada's Jordan Binnington Came Through As A Nation Held Its Breath

MILAN, Italy - For a few moments – OK, more than just a few – a nation held its collective breath. 

But for one of the most crucial of those moments, Jordan Binnington was there for Canada… again.

It was the start of overtime between Canada and the Czechs, and Martin Necas, who was by far the most dangerous offensive weapon for the Czechs throughout the Olympics, got a breakaway. Defenseman Devon Toews was in hot pursuit, but it was ultimately up to Binnington to make the save that would keep his team's gold-medal dreams alive. And 'Binner' came through.

"He's a gamer," said right winger Tom Wilson. "We're confident in him coming up big in those moments. He made two or three saves that saved our tournament. He did an amazing job against a team that has sneaky skill and can make high-end plays."

Binnington, of course, was a huge X-factor coming into the Olympics.

Yes, he was incredible for Canada at the 4 Nations Face-Off and one of the big reasons they outlasted the Americans in the title game. But this season has been a trial for both him and his St. Louis Blues. Not only are the Blues second-last in the Western Conference right now, but Binnington's personal numbers have been rough. Heading into the break, he had an .864 save percentage, while his eight wins tied him with the likes of Leevi Merilainen and Samuel Ersson – and Binnington has played more games than both of them.

But in a Team Canada jersey, he's another story altogether. 

The Czechs may not have had as many shots as Canada in the quarterfinal, but their strategy of counter-attacking off turnovers meant that a number of their chances were of the high-danger variety (and on one goal, the Czechs had six skaters on the ice, which went unnoticed by officials).

"Binner gave us a chance to win the game," said coach Jon Cooper. "All the goals, I would say they were more on the guys in front of him than on him. So we have to improve in that area. I'll give the Czechs a ton of credit, they played us hard, especially coming off playing yesterday. But when the game got tight, especially when they took the lead, he shut the door."

And the most important save came on that Necas breakaway.

"He had pressure on him." Binnington said. "So I tried to take my ice and play it out, and I made the save. Thankfully the guys got back there so there were no second chances."

Canada needed some second chances itself, as the Czechs took a 2-1 lead after the first period. It was an unknown spot for the Canadians, who had yet to trail in the tournament. But there was no panic during the first intermission.

"We were feeling pretty good, to be honest," Binnington said. "We knew it was going to be tough, it's not going to be a walk in the park here. Every team is good, so we just have to stick to our process, and inevitably, we got the win, and that's what matters."

And so far at the Olympics, the only thing that has mattered surrounding Binnington is how he has played in that Canadian jersey. Just as he did at the 4 Nations Face-Off, he gave up one fewer goal than his opponent, and as great as Lukas Dostal was in the Czech net, it was Binnington who got the 'W' in the end.

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