Blues' Binnington starts Game 4
The St. Louis Blues turned to goaltender Jordan Binnington for Game 4 of their first-round series against the Minnesota Wild on Sunday.
Binnington made 28 saves on 30 shots en route to the Blues' series-tying 5-2 victory.
Ville Husso started the previous three contests for the Blues, mustering a .906 save percentage and 3.02 goals against average. The 27-year-old shut out the Wild in Game 1 but has since struggled, surrendering nine goals on 59 shots across Games 2 and 3.
Binnington has plenty of experience backstopping the Blues in the playoffs. He became the first rookie goaltender in NHL history to record all 16 of his team's victories en route to a Stanley Cup win in 2019, authoring a .914 save percentage and a 2.46 goals against average.
The Ontario native hasn't replicated that success in the postseason since - he put up a sub-.900 save percentage during the Blues' subsequent two playoff appearances. Binnington snapped a nine-game losing streak in the playoffs with Sunday's victory.
Husso challenged Binnington for the No. 1 spot in St. Louis this regular season. Binnington appeared in just 37 games, logging a .901 save percentage.
The Blues ran with 11 forwards and seven defensemen in Game 4. Blue-liner Scott Perunovich made his NHL playoff debut. He'd been out of the lineup since Jan. 16 due to a wrist injury.