Blues Goalie Binnington Agitates, Flops, and Amuses Islanders

ST. LOUIS– St. Louis Blues netminder Jordan Binnington is a Stanley Cup champion. He can also be emotional and a goalie who doesn’t mind starting trouble. He did so against the New York Islanders on Thursday night.

Jordan Binnington allowed four goals on 33 shots, with Natural Stat Trick showing his expected goals-against average at 2.62 in the Islanders’ 5-2 win.

He was not good in the contest, let’s put it that way.

But his dramatics were not only out of line but caused a stir and drew amusement from the Islanders.

READ MORE: Ilya Sorokin Makes INCREDIBLE Save in First Period

Early in the first period, Binnington made a save and got touched by an Islander forward. Instead of staying in position, he fell down and was very fortunate the play ended, or the Islanders would have had an empty net.

In the middle of the second period, Islanders forward Oliver Wahlstrom skated behind the net, and Binnington came out to play the puck. Wahlstrom went hard for the puck and clipped Binnington. The dramatic netminder submitted his Academy Award highlight reel, but the referees didn’t buy it.

Like an infomercial, “But wait, there’s more!”

During Anders Lee’s fight with Niko Mikkola, Binnington got in a cheap shot on the New York Islanders captain.

During Anders Lee's fight against Niko Mikkola, #stlblues netminder Jordan Binnington gets his stick between Lee's legs. pic.twitter.com/2NoKW07VxI

— Stefen Rosner (@stefen_rosner) November 4, 2022

At the end of the second period, Jordan Binnington skated past New York Islanders netminder Ilya Sorokin, making sure to give him a bump.

Jordan Binnington gives Ilya Sorokin a little bump the end of the period pic.twitter.com/bJRzfg99um

— Brady Trettenero (@BradyTrett) November 4, 2022

“Oh yeah, it’s funny. I was relaxed,” Ilya Sorokin told NYI Hockey Now following the game.

“I think we’ve seen it happen before,” Anders Lee said. “It doesn’t matter who it is. You just got to play through it and can’t get rattled by it.”

Binnington has performed such antics and agitator chippiness before.

On Monday, the St. Louis Blues fourth straight loss, a 5-1 loss to the Los Angeles Kings, Binnington was pulled after allowing five goals on 19 shots. On his way to the St. Louis bench, he tried to engage the Kings bench, but the referees intervened.

On Feb. 28, of 2021, Binnington went after San Jose Sharks defenseman Erik Karlsson and then goaltender Devan Dubnyk as he left the ice.

During round two of the 2022 Stanley Cup Playoffs, with the Blues facing the eventual Stanley Cup champion Colorado Avalanche, Nazem Kadri knocked Binnington out of the playoffs as he collided with him in game three of the series leading to a kee injury.

While Kadri was being interviewed live on TNT after a 5-2 win, Binnington threw a water bottle at him.

Binnington was not fined for his actions, which he admitted to doing:

“I’m walking down the hallway, couldn’t find a recycling bin on my way down the hallway, and right before I walked into the locker room, I see him kind of doing an interview there, smiling, laughing, and I’m there in a knee brace limping down the hallway, and I just felt like it was a God-given opportunity,” Binnington said. “I could just stay silent and go in the room, or I could say something and just have him look me in the eye and understand what’s going on: (Give him) something to think about.” (quote via the Denver Post)

The St. Louis Blues awarded Jordan Binnington a six-year, $36 million deal back in March of 2021. That contract surely played a part in general manager Doug Armstrong’s decision to trade rising start netminder Ville Husso this past summer, getting a third-round pick (74th) in return.