Canada names Binnington starter for 4 Nations opener

Jordan Binnington will start between the pipes for Canada's 4 Nations Face-Off opener Wednesday against Sweden, head coach Jon Cooper told reporters Tuesday.

"Naturally, he was really excited," Cooper said, per The Athletic's Chris Johnston. "He's a confident kid, and he wants to be in that spot."

Adin Hill will dress as Canada's backup. That leaves Sam Montembeault as a healthy scratch.

Binnington has endured a down season with the St. Louis Blues, posting a 15-19-4 record, a .896 save percentage, and minus-0.49 goals saved above expected, per Evolving-Hockey.

The Richmond Hill, Ontario, native suited up for Canada at the 2024 World Championship, going 6-2-0 with a .885 save percentage.

Binnington owns a .906 save percentage in 319 career regular-season appearances. He led the Blues to the 2019 Stanley Cup, starting all 26 playoff games that year.

Goaltending is considered Canada's primary weakness in the tournament, but Binnington's new teammates have faith in the netminder.

"He's a winner, plain and simple," defenseman Drew Doughty said. "Binner's a winner, and that's all it takes for me."

"He seems really dialed in right now," star forward Nathan MacKinnon added. "Full confidence in him."