Blues goalie was terrific in final game of 2023-24 season with 36 saves despite 2-1 shootout loss against Stars
If there was any doubt who the most consistent and most important player for the St. Louis Blues was in their season finale on Wednesday night, that doubt should have been put in the waste can.
It should have been there a long time ago, but a 36-save performance in a 2-1 shootout loss against the Dallas Stars closed out, in my opinion, Jordan Binnington's best full season in the NHL on Wednesday at American Airlines Center.
The fact that the Blues, who are missing out on the playoffs for a second straight season and closing it out at 43-33-6, were even in this all the way up to Game No. 80 was their goaltending, and Binnington played a large role in that.
He was terrific in defeat in the skills competition, when Stars goalie Jake Oettinger one-upped him in the shootout, with the Stars (52-21-9) winning it 1-0 on a goal by Jason Robertson int he first round.
Robert Thomas scored the lone Blues goal to finish with 26 and cap off an 86-point season, the most since Pavol Demitra had 93 in 2002-03 but he also could have ended the game in overtime but somehow, couldn't beat Oettinger on a one-in-a-million desperation save (more on that later).
So the Blues close out this season 11 points better than last (92-81), they will have their exits meetings on Thursday and then the fun stuff will soon enough begin as far as what the roster will look like, will Drew Bannister have the interim tag removed or if Doug Armstrong will go after and name a more established, experienced coach. We'll know all that soon enough, but let's first wrap up Game No. 82 with these key moments:
* Oettinger plays Superman -- The Stars needed this game, or at least a point to wrap up the top seed in the Western Conference, and after a pretty sleepy first period in which each team had their moments and each had a failed power play, Oettinger mase out like Superman to rob Scott Perunovich of his first NHL goal, the second time in three games to close the season a Blues player had a would-be first NHL goal ripped from them.
Remember Zach Dean against the Carolina Hurricanes on Friday when Frederik Andersen lunged back and snagged what would have been the 2021 first-round pick's first NHL goal.
Yeah, something along those lines.
It came on the Blues' lone power play at 14:04.
The Stars had the initial push, the Blues pushed back later in the period and shots ended 10-6 in favor of Dallas.
* Thomas breaks the ice -- Again, it was tightly-contested. The Blues didn't want to just step out of the way and give the Stars a game they needed, so they pounced in an opportunity, and it was Thomas who did so when he wired a lethal wrister from the right circle at 17:19 of the second to open the scoring.
It was a play in which Brayden Schenn hit Zack Bolduc with a cross-ice pass in the neutral zone, the rookie carried it into the offensive and tried leaving a puck for Thomas but was a bit off kilter.
Dallas center Roope Hintz had a chance to intercept and break the play up but basically did a fly-by, Thomas retrieved the puck, skated into the circle and beat Oettinger top shelf like you write home about.
* Marchment answers -- The Blues have been good all season when scoring first (33-4-1), and even better when leading after two periods (29-1-0), but Mason Marchment would tie the game on a slot rebound, beating Matthew Kessel's stick check (that's a learning moment for the rookie), spinning and scoring to tie the game 1-1 at 5:11.
Once the Stars got the game tied, they were determined to either try and win the game when it was on the line or at least limit the Blues' would-be scoring chances as the third progressed and succeeded, getting the game to overtime.
* Binnington robs Robertson -- The Stars tried to end it quickly but Binnington would have none of it just 10 seconds into OT (sorry, apparently, nobody on 'X' clipped the save). But believe me, it was something else.
Blues goalie Jordan Binnington was terrific in a season-finale 2-1 shootout loss against the Stars on Wednesday in Dallas. * Thomas had chance to end it -- Call it lucky (I do, and will), call it not giving up on a play (OK, I'll bite), but Thomas could have ended the game on a winning note for the Blues at 3:19.
He had 100 percent of a wide open net, just slam it home and game over. Oettinger even thought the game was over, but the Stars goalie just extended his stick to a spot, and Thomas, inexplicably threw it right into the path of it and a save was made.
They would play on, and the Blues had to kill off Perunovich's second minor of the game with 1:30 remaining for a hold. But they would and get it to a shootout.
* Robertson ends season like Stars started it -- Six shooters, only one goal. It came from Robertson, who tucked a backhand between Binnington's pads to hold up as the only goal needed by Dallas, which also beat St. Louis 2-1 in a shootout in the season-opener, coincidentally.
Schenn, Jordan Kyrou and Thomas all had cracks on Oettinger and couldn't beat the Stars goalie.
That puts a bow on this regular season. Players begin media interviews at 11:30, followed by Armstrong and Bannister and we'll hopefully at least get some clarity on where the coaching direction is going.
