Binnington vs. Hellebuyck: Familiar foes set stage for Blues-Jets playoff goalie duel

WINNIPEG – Two of the NHL’s most seasoned goaltenders and familiar foes, Jordan Binnington and Connor Hellebuyck, go head-to-head once again as the St. Louis Blues face the Winnipeg Jets in the first round of the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs.

Binnington, the Blues’ all-time goaltending wins leader, has patrolled the net for St. Louis since leading their 2019 Stanley Cup run.

Hellebuyck, a two-time Vezina Award winner (honoring the league’s best goalie any given season), has been the Jets’ go-to netminder for nearly a decade.

And thanks to both teams playing in the NHL’s Central Division, these two are no strangers to each other, typically squaring off three or four times per season.

When it comes to the regular season, Hellebuyck holds a clear edge over the Blues compared to Binnington against the Jets.

Hellebuyck is 17-6-2 with a .928 save percentage and a 2.03 goals against average and four shutouts over 25 regular season games against the Blues.

Binnington is 3-7-1 with a .903 save percentage and a 3.09 goals against average over 11 regular season games against the Jets.

That said, when stakes have been higher in their head-to-head battles, Binnington has usually had bragging right in the end.

In 2019, when the Blues and Jets last met in playoffs, St. Louis won the first-round series in six games and Binnington won all three games in Winnipeg.

Binnington completed the series with a 2.63 GAA and .908 SV%, nearly identical to Hellebyuck’s performance in the series (2.67 GAA, .913 SV%).

Despite Hellebuyck’s strong showing, it wasn’t enough to turn the series in Winnipeg’s favor. And at that point of his career, pressure was heavy on Hellebuyck. It was just his second playoff campaign and each of his losses were decided by just one decisive goal.

Fast-forward six years later to the NHL’s 4 Nations Faceoff midseason tournament: Different jerseys, but similar storyline. Binnington started in goal for Team Canada while Hellebuyck manned the net for Team USA. And in an odd twist, the two were leading countries that mirrored their NHL rivalry.

Binnington (Canada) dropped a round-robin match, 3-1, against Hellebuyck (USA) on Feb. 15 that left Canada scrambling to stay in contention for the Gold Medal Match. They did just good enough to advance, setting the stage for a high-stakes rematch five days later.

And once again, Binnington stood tall when it mattered most.

Canada prevailed with a 3-2 overtime victory over the United States to win the 4 Nations inaugural Gold Medal game. Binnington stopped 31 of 33 shots (.939 SV%), including several high-quality overtime chances. Hellebuyck also played admirably, but ultimately surrendered the tournament-winning goal to Connor McDavid, finishing his night with 24 saves on 27 shots (.889 SV%).

On paper, Hellebuyck was the stronger goalie for much of the tournament (1.59 GAA, .932 SV%), but Binnington (2.37 GAA, .907 SV%) had the last laugh, leading Canada to the Gold Medal.

Two months later, Binnington and Hellebuyck meet again in the NHL playoffs for the first time and the stakes couldn’t be much higher.

The Jets claimed the President’s Trophy, leading the NHL with 56 wins and 116 regular-season points. The Blues claimed the last spot on their final day of regular season, boosted by a late-season surge that included a franchise-best 12-game winning streak.

It all sets up a compelling narrative: Will Connor Hellebuyck carry his dominant regular season form into playoffs to stop the Blues? Or will Jordan Binnington once again play spoiler and rise when the lights shine brightest?

In playoff hockey, anything can happen. So toss out the stats, forget the history and buckle up for another chapter of Binnington vs. Hellebuyck.

Game 1 of the Blues-Jets first-round playoff series is set for Saturday at 5 p.m. CT in Winnipeg. The game broadcast will air on FanDuel Sports Network Midwest and TNT, while HBO Max will also carry a live stream.

For a closer look at the Blues’ full first-round playoff schedule, click here.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX 2.

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Binnington vs. Hellebuyck: Familiar foes set stage for Blues-Jets playoff goalie duel

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