SIMMONS: Jordan Binnington vs. Connor Hellebuyck a great mismatch in goal
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It isn’t Jordan Binnington’s fault that he isn’t Connor Hellebuyck.
There can only be one best goaltender in the world at any moment and, at this moment in time, Hellebuyck has that unofficial belt around his waist.
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SIMMONS: Jordan Binnington vs. Connor Hellebuyck a great mismatch in goal Back to video
Somehow on Thursday night, Team Canada will have to do what the Colorado Avalanche and Nathan MacKinnon did in last year’s playoffs, and do what Mark Stone and the Vegas Golden Knights did two years ago — find a way to expose Hellebuyck when it matters most.
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It’s not like it hasn’t happened before. MacKinnon and Cale Makar can explain the process to their Team Canada teammates. Stone and assistant coach Bruce Cassidy can draw up how they solved Hellebuyck two years ago.
There is evidence it can happen. The execution, in a game with this kind of speed, this kind of defence, this little space, this much on the line for both American and Canadian hockey, will matter most.
Can Hellebuyck be the difference for a Team USA now playing without Charlie McAvoy on defence after he was so brilliant on Saturday night? Of course he can. Goalies can always be that difference.
Binnington’s greatest moment as a professional came in his rookie season with the St. Louis Blues, heading into the TD Centre in Boston — where Thursday night’s championship game will be played — for Game 7 of the Stanley Cup final.
The Bruins were supposed to win that game and the Stanley Cup. Just ask Brad Marchand.
Binnington had a superb first period in Game 7. The Blues took over that game and won with relative ease. The Stanley Cup, against all odds, was theirs.
That was six years ago. A hockey lifetime ago.
This is now Thursday night.
Binnington was one of the obvious picks to be on the roster of Team Canada’s goaltenders heading into the tournament. One of three. Was he the obvious starter? No. Was he the likely choice? Not necessarily. Should he — or any of the other goalies — been chosen ahead of Washington’s Logan Thompson? Probably not.
None of that matters now. The decision was made before the tournament began to start Binnington in Game 1 against Sweden. And he played a Binnington kind of game.
He let in at least one goal you might want to have back. Maybe two. But late against Sweden, with the game on the line, and again with the game on the line in overtime, he was sharp when he needed to be sharp.
That is the inexplicable part of Binnington’s game. He isn’t great, but can be great when he needs to be. He lets in too many cringe-worthy goals, but he bounces back. Like the best of all goalies, he has that kind of amnesia.
A bad one goes in, you carry on.
The U.S. doesn’t have the best centres in the tournament. Canada has those in Connor McDavid and MacKinnon. The U.S. doesn’t have the kind of veteran, been-there-before leadership that Canada has. Team Canada can turn to Sidney Crosby or Drew Doughty or Marchand when need be because there isn’t much in their hockey lives they haven’t faced before.
Even without McAvoy, the U.S. defence is deep, probably deeper and sounder than the Canadian six.
Zach Werenski is having a difference-making, Norris Trophy-type season in Columbus and has had a difference-maker tournament — better thus far than Makar — for the Americans.
The imbalance between two well-coached teams, between teams of so many accomplished players, in a one-game showdown can come down to the quality in goal.
All Hellebuyck needs to be is Hellebuyck and the U.S. can win the 4-Nations Face-Off tournament.
Which shifts the axis back to Binnington, who has all but earned a spot on next year’s Canadian Olympic team no matter what happens Thursday night. What does Canada need from Binnington now?
They don’t need him to steal the game. They don’t need him to be Carey Price or Roberto Luongo or Martin Brodeur. They need him to be to solid, on his game, sharp. They need him to be the good Binnington.
If he lets in a bad goal, know that it will happen. It’s not letting the goal in that matters — he’ll do that — it’s how you react after it that matters most. How does he react? How does the rest of his team react?
Binnington is a fighter. He always has been that. He fought to get to the NHL. He fought to find a place with the Blues. He has had good years and bad since winning the Cup as a rookie.
This is Year 6 now for Binnington. Since the unlikely championship, the Blues have only won one playoff series. They’re likely to miss the playoffs for the third straight season this time around.
It’s not like there’s a lot of recent success on his dance card. That makes this final even more important. That’s what makes this so personal.
The better goalie doesn’t always win a one-game showdown. The better team does.
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