Jordan Binnington is having his 'Hamburglar' moment

Kyle Cantlon
·Writer
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Jordan Binnington is either a flash in the pan — a modern day Hamburglar — or he’s found something authentic in his game that is sustainable for the long haul.

We really have no idea at this point which way it will go, but there is one thing for certain: the giant, sun-orbiting rock upon which we live is going to blow into smithereens at some point and we’re all going with it, so let’s just enjoy this while we can.

With a 31-save effort against Toronto on Tuesday, Binnington became the first rookie netminder since Pelle Lindbergh in 1982-83 to reel off nine straight wins. The 25-year-old also became just the fifth goaltender ever to win 13 of his first 15 NHL contests — just one game after he became the seventh ‘tender ever to post four goose eggs over his first 14 career starts.

Binnington is racking up the historical accolades while thrusting himself into mainstream hockey conscience. Even more impressive than his nearly-unmatched run is the fact that this relatively unknown AHLer has the Blues not only back in the hunt, but looking like a real, legitimate threat in the Western Conference.

To reach the conclusion that Binnington has pretty much single-handedly salvaged the Blues season, you don’t have to look much further than where this team was just a month-and-a-half ago.

No one can predict where Jordan Binnington will be a year from now, so let’s enjoy this run. (Getty)
No one can predict where Jordan Binnington will be a year from now, so let’s enjoy this run. (Getty)

Prior to JB’s first start on Jan. 7, St. Louis trudged through its first 39 games with a paltry .462 points percentage after opening up the campaign with a 16-19-4 record. The club entered early 2019 dwelling near the bottom of the Western Conference standings while everyone from Vladimir Tarasenko to Colton Parayko to the dude slinging hot dogs outside the arena were rumoured to be available if the right offer came along.

It was a bit puzzling at first to figure out why exactly the Blues — who looked solid from top-to-bottom on paper — were struggling so mightily through the first half of the season, but a quick look at the tire-fire between the pipes was all that was needed to figure it out.

Jake Allen and Chad Johnson have put up their best Swiss cheese impressions in St. Louis’ crease, with the pair combining to post an egregious negative-13.68 Goals Saved Above Average in all situations. Binnington, meanwhile, has stopped nearly 11 Goals Above Average since his first start — almost a 25-goal swing.

Though Allen just pulled his Sv% from the depths of hell to an over-.900 mark in his last start, he and Chad “don’t call me Ocho Cinco” Johnson have spent the entirety of the season boasting save percentages well below league average — like way below. Even following Allen’s recent shutout against the Avalanche, he still ranks 45th among goaltenders with at least 600 minutes played this season in 5v5 Sv%.

Johnson ranks dead last in that department, while Binnington’s .959 mark leads the entire NHL.

While the nerds can appreciate (or overthink) the data, there’s a lot to love about watching Binnington’s game from a technical and tactical standpoint, too.

The combination of strong lateral movement and puck-tracking prowess — and the ability to combine both skills with near-perfect timing on a consistent basis — has been noticeable.

And his efficiency of movement, especially in 1-on-1 situations, has been on point.

Confidence and swag? Oh yeah, he’s got that, too.

We can all agree that this run by the rookie netminder has been nothing short of spectacular, but this is the part where we unfortunately have to touch on “regression” and “sustainability” and all that very good and fun stuff.

The most recent example of an early-career tear like the one Binnington is on right now was put up by Andrew Hammond (AKA the Hamburglar) with the Ottawa Senators in 2014-15. As you may recall, Hammond endeared himself to hamburger fiends and hockey fans alike with his miraculous performance at the tail end of that campaign.

The unknown third-stringer gobbled up his opportunity, going 20-1-2 with a .941 save percentage for the Sens down the stretch as the team miraculously surged its way into the postseason. One of the greatest 25-game stretches in NHL history didn’t yield any playoff results or launch a career, though, as Hammond has gone on to start just 26 games over the following three-and-a-half campaigns.

Will Binnington rock a nearly .960 5v5 Sv% forever? No. Will he continue to post shutouts every four starts? Nope. How much longer will he be able to carry this team like he has been? Not sure. Will this translate into playoff success? Who knows. Does this run make him a viable long-term starter in St. Louis? Even that is very much up for debate.

It’s not in any way certain where Binnington will land on the hero-to-Hammond spectrum when all is said and done. But if there’s one thing the Hamburglar’s performance a few years ago taught us, it’s that these types of runs can be both extremely fun and very temporary.

So let’s embrace nice hockey things and soak them in while we have them, shall we?

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