Jordan Binnington Gets the Last Word in NHL’s 4 Nations Face-Off

On June 12, 2019, rookie goaltender Jordan Binnington delivered a dazzling performance at TD Garden, saving 32 out of 33 shots faced to propel the St. Louis Blues to their first-ever Stanley Cup championship in game seven against the Boston Bruins. Less than six years later, ahead of another crucial series, Binnington’s goaltending abilities had lost public confidence.

This year — in lieu of an All-Star Game — the NHL opted to host a best-on-best international tournament where the most talented players from Sweden, Finland, Canada, and the United States took a break from their regular season teams to compete for their countries. After a week of round-robin play, the two best teams would face off for the trophy.

The 4 Nations Face-Off was originally designed to serve as a preview for next year’s Olympics in Milan, which will be the first time NHLers will be able to play in the Winter Games since 2014. It’s safe to say the league’s decision was a wild success. Players and fans alike experienced the hype that the tournament offered: the cheapest tickets to watch the final live cost over $1,000 while the broadcast raked in 9.3 million viewers across North America, which is more than any Stanley Cup final has since 2014. (In comparison, the NBA’s annual All-Star Game — which also took place this past week — experienced a 13% drop in viewership.) “Nothing’s done more for hockey in a decade than what this tournament’s done,” remarked Jon Cooper, the head coach for Team Canada and the Tampa Bay Lightning.

With a spotlight on the tournament, the starting rosters for each country proved a divisive topic. For Canada, the most controversial question was who would start in net. Canada was once hailed as the goaltending capital, producing 73% of NHL goalies in 1994, such as Martin Brodeur, Carey Price, and Roberto Luongo, who were all elite performers on the international stage. Now, Canada only produces roughly a quarter of the league’s netminders.

The U.S. had the cream of the crop at their disposal, choosing Connor Hellebuyck — the reigning Vezina winner and the first string for Winnipeg — as their starting goaltender with the Dallas Star’s Jake Oettinger and Boston’s Jeremey Swayman as strong backups. Sweden opted for the Ottawa Senators’ Linus Ullmark (another recent Vezina recipient) and the Minnesota Wild’s Filip Gustavsson, while Finland selected the Nashville Predator’s Juuse Saros and the Vancouver Canucks’ Kevin Lankinen. Binnington, the Vegas Golden Knights’ Adin Hill, and the Montreal Canadiens’ Sam Montembeault were the selections for Canada, all of whom posted save percentages for the 2024-25 season below the league average of 0.902. Prior to the tournament, Sportsnet hockey analyst Jason Bukala ranked the U.S. team first and the Canadian team last in terms of goaltenders.

The U.S. finished at the top of the standings in the round-robin tournament, beating Finland 6-1 and Canada 3-1, to secure a place in the finals, and then losing 2-1 to Sweden. Team Canada faced a more precarious road to the final because of the 3-2-1 point system (three points awarded for a regulation win, two for an overtime win, and one point for an overtime loss). Canada beat Sweden 4-3 in overtime and beat Finland 5-3, putting them at five points to the U.S.’ six. Had Canada lost to Sweden in overtime, the final would have been between the U.S. and Sweden.

This set up a final simmering with tension, as a longstanding on-ice rivalry became exacerbated by President Donald Trump’s declaration of a trade war against the U.S.’ northern neighbor and frequent threats to make Canada the 51st state. In the U.S.’ preliminary win against Canada, a trio of brawls broke out in the first nine seconds sparked by American and Florida Panthers’ forward Matthew Tkachuk dropping the gloves with Canadian and Tampa Bay Lightning forward Brandon Hagel.

Having already lost to the U.S., Team Canada was the underdog for the championship game — as was Binnington. He was the only goaltender to play all three games in the round-robin contests, and concerns emerged surrounding his performance. In an article calling for his replacement, James Mirtle, a senior writer for The Athletic, wrote that “Binnington has been allowing freebies while playing behind a largely airtight Canadian defense.” By contrast, Hellebuyck entered the matchup with a 0.957 save percentage, only giving up two goals in as many games played.

Despite the doubt placed on him by critics, on Thursday, Binnington returned to TD Garden as the starting goaltender, once again in a championship game against the home crowd. The first two periods of the final were evenly matched. The Avalanche’s Nathan Mackinnon scored first for Canada, dulling the “USA” chants of the arena’s many American fans. Ottawa’s Brady Tkachuk evened the score for the Americans before the first intermission and teammate Jake Sanderson gave the U.S. their first lead not long into the second frame. (The game was looking more like Team Canada versus the Ottawa Senators.) Sam Bennett, Canadian and Florida Panther, lifted the puck past Hellebuyck to tie the game 2-2 before the third period. Despite close chances, neither team found the back of the net in the third, sending the game to overtime.

Both Hellebuyck and Binnington had demonstrated solid performance in regulation, making 21 and 25 saves, respectively, but in overtime Binnington truly rose to the challenge. Minutes into overtime, Binnington robbed Auston Matthews — the reigning Rocket Richard Trophy recipient — of a goal from point-blank range. Moments later Binnington blocked another shot from Matthews and as well as the rebounded shot taken by Brady Tkachuk in front of a wide-open net. Broadcast announcer Ray Ferraro remarked that it was “2019 all over again” after Binnington’s improbable stop. The goaltender’s vintage moves staved off the U.S.’ relentless offensive attempts for long enough to allow Connor McDavid to score the game-winner for Canada.

By no means did Binnington carry the Canadian team on his back. Three-time Hart Memorial Trophy winner and five-time Art Ross Winner McDavid and tournament MVP Nathan Mckinnon were imperative to the Canadian victory; but they — two of the sport’s top players — were always expected to come in clutch. After the overtime win, Binnington extended his record to 3-0 and a 0.958 save percentage in winner-take-all games. “The moment doesn’t get to him,” McDavid commented following the win. “He made probably three or four all-world saves early in overtime to allow us to score the goal. So, all credit to him. Hopefully some of those haters will back off him, because honestly, he played great.”

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, too, got the last word, posting on X after the final: “You can’t take our country — and you can’t take our game.”