Blues’ Standout of the Week: Binnington, Snuggerud, and Leather – Hockey Writers – St Louis Blues
St. Louis Blues is coming off a week that had more places than high places. They went 1-1-1 on the week thanks to a four-game homestand. There was history-making, NHL injuries, and high-profile stories mixed in with the events of the past week. As we start a new week, it’s time again to identify the Blues’ Stateout players from last week.
Standout # 3 – Hunter Skinner
The leather hunter made his NHL Debut on Friday. It was a special night for the Skinners, who had their parents on hand to witness their son’s death. Skyner’s father watched his son take the ice in an NHL game.
It was a special night for the leather family, but that’s not why the defenseman is new to this list. The Blues’ defensive bottom has struggled this season, giving the team little solidity. Leather played a great game in the pair below. He only played 10:45, but recorded four hits and a blocked shot. It wasn’t spectacular, but the skin had a good effect on the snow. It will be interesting to see what he does next.
Standout # 2 – Jimmy Snuggerud
The 21-year-old had a great week. It wasn’t all good, as he whitewashed on a shot attempt on Friday, but Jimmy Snuggerud certainly had some offensive flair. He was left off the score sheet on Tuesday, but registered three shots on goal.
On Friday night, Snuggerud scored the Blues’ second goal of the game, following a great pass by Robert Thomas. Snuggerud returned the favor in the third period, taking the puck behind the net and feeding Thomas, who got the goal himself. On Saturday, when the Blues were struggling to generate offense against the Vegas Golden Knights, Snuggerud helped the Blues break away, assisting Philip Broberg’s goal.
Snuggerud was a college scoring machine. The Blues hope to see themselves at the NHL level. The Minnesota native has had a solid week, recording four points in three games, and has 11 points in 19 total games.
Standout #1 – Jordan Binnington
No, Jordan Binnington still doesn’t look nervous. It was a historic week for him. On Tuesday, Binnington played in his 348th game for the Blues, passing Mike Liut for the most in franchise history. In addition, Bingnington was the team’s brick wall in its win against the Calgary Flames, stopping 37 shots.
Related: Jordan Binnington may already be the Blues’ Best Goaltender of all time
Binnington’s other start came Friday. To the naked eye, it wasn’t nearly as good on Tuesday. He gave up five goals on 31 shots, but not every goal allowed was directly his fault. The team in front of him had poor volutes, which led to more scoring opportunities for the Philadelphia Flyers.
However, Bingnington kept the blues in the game. His best moment came in the second half of extra time. Flyers’ Fork NEVRAS was awarded a penalty shot. Zegras, who has a 66.7% success rate on clearances (which is, of course, the same as penalty kicks), was stopped by binnington to keep the game alive. Once again, Stanley’s Stanley Cup champion is done in a big way for his team.
Next week
The Blues continue on the road for a five-game road trip. It would be good for the team to move away from home practice. The Blues will play three games this coming week. It will start on Tuesday, as they will travel to Ontario and fight the Toronto maple leaves.
