Goalie made 30 saves, kept Blues in game early down two to give them chance to rally, win season opener
There were a number of key moments -- and players -- that fueled a come-from-behind 3-2 win by the St. Louis Blues against the Seattle Kraken in the season opener on Tuesday at Climate Pledge Arena.
But let's face it, when the Blues were not on top of their game, it was their backbone that made saves when needed: Jordan Binnington.
Did Binnington have to stand on his head in this one? No, but there were certainly moments when he needed to come up with a save that, in my opinion, saved the Blues from falling into the abyss of no turning back.
How about that shoulder save on Matty Beniers within the first four minutes of the game? Or that glove stop on Oliver Bjorkstrand with just under eight and a half minutes left in the second period down 2-0 that if that goes it, it's likely game over?
Binnington made 26 saves through two periods and kept the Blues afloat until moments happened from the skaters that helped fuel a late second-period turnaround in which the Blues scored three times in 1:55 to turn a 2-0 deficit into a 3-2 lead.
So for the opener, Binnington gets Player of the Game honors. Honorable mention goes to Jordan Kyrou (two goals), Nathan Walker and Alexey Toropchenko, who were involved in a scuffle moments before the comeback that seemingly lit the fire and the defensive pairing of Philip Broberg, who scored in his Blues debut, and Justin Faulk, who played exceptionally well, especially in the third period helping close out the game when the Blues did not allow a shot on goal in the final 11:50.
