{"id":320677,"date":"2025-12-02T14:28:07","date_gmt":"2025-12-02T14:28:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/320677\/"},"modified":"2025-12-02T14:28:07","modified_gmt":"2025-12-02T14:28:07","slug":"st-louis-blues-jim-montgomery-downplays-confrontation-with-jordan-binnington-after-early-pull","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/320677\/","title":{"rendered":"St. Louis Blues\u2019 Jim Montgomery downplays confrontation with Jordan Binnington after early pull"},"content":{"rendered":"

St. Louis Blues<\/a> goaltender Jordan Binnington<\/a> appeared to have words for head coach Jim Montgomery<\/a> after being pulled midway through the first period in Monday\u2019s loss to the Anaheim Ducks<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Binnington allowed two goals on the first five shots of the game and Montgomery made the quick decision to turn to Joel Hofer<\/a> instead. Binnington appeared to make comments toward Montgomery before storming down the tunnel and remaining in the locker roomfor the rest of the period.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou know, I love Jordan Binnington<\/a>,\u201d Montgomery said after the eventual 4-1 loss to the Ducks. \u201cHe\u2019s a competitor. He raises his games in the big moments all the time. I love him. He walked off the ice, he said, \u2018I love you!\u2019 I said, \u2018I love you, too!\u2019<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re both competitors, and at the end of the period, he waited for me, we apologized and we moved on. It\u2019s over and done with.\u201d<\/p>\n

Jim Montgomery on Jordan Binnington: “He walked off the ice, he said \u2018I love you,\u2019 I said \u2018I love you, too.\u2019 We\u2019re both competitors by nature. At the end of the period, he waited for me. We apologized, we moved on. It\u2019s over and done with.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u2014 Matthew DeFranks (@MDeFranks) December 2, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n

The 32-year-old Binnington has struggled this season with a 6-6-5 record with a .878 save percentage and a 3.20 goals-against average. Monday marked just the second time he\u2019s been pulled this season, withMontgomery also taking him out after he allowed four goals on 15 on Nov. 5 against the Washington Capitals<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor me, I\u2019ve always looked at where the goals came from, and what\u2019s the percentage that those goals should go in,\u201d Montgomery said of making the decision to pull a goalie. \u201cA lot of times you let goalies fight through it. But sometimes, when I feel that the goalie looks off, just like a player, I pull back his minutes.<\/p>\n

\u201cI sit [Pavel Buchnevich<\/a>] and [Robert Thomas<\/a>] for two minutes, they don\u2019t play 19 minutes, they play 17 minutes and no one really notices. Unfortunately for a goalie, everybody knows that you\u2019re pulling him.\u201d<\/p>\n

While Monday\u2019s decision clearly did not sit well with the netminder, he returned to the bench for the second and third periods after speaking with Montgomery in the first intermission.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s just the professionalism that you expect from someone like Binner, as well as letting my own ego go, and just going to him,\u201d Montgomery said. \u201cIt\u2019s important that you deal with it right away. I don\u2019t love dealing with conflict, but in life you have to deal with conflict and you deal with it right away and nothing festers then.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hofer, who posted his second shutout of the season on Saturday against the Utah Mammoth<\/a>, has also not been without his struggles this season. The 25-year-old has a 3-5-2 record with a .882 save percentage and a 3.29 GAA. He allowed one goal on 20 shots in relief of Binnington Monday.<\/p>\n

The 9-11-7 Blues will visit the Boston Bruins<\/a> Thursday and Montgomery declined to say Monday who will get the start in the first of a three-game road trip.<\/p>\n