• HOME
  • NHL Teams
    • North Division
      • Calgary Flames
      • Edmonton Oilers
      • Montreal Canadiens
      • Ottawa Senators
      • Toronto Maple Leafs
      • Vancouver Canucks
      • Winnipeg Jets
    • East Division
      • Boston Bruins
      • Buffalo Sabres
      • New Jersey Devils
      • New York Islanders
      • New York Rangers
      • Philadelphia Flyers
      • Pittsburgh Penguins
      • Washington Capitals
    • Central Division
      • Carolina Hurricanes
      • Chicago Blackhawks
      • Columbus Blue Jackets
      • Dallas Stars
      • Detroit Red Wings
      • Florida Panthers
      • Nashville Predators
      • Tampa Bay Lightning
    • West Division
      • Anaheim Ducks
      • Arizona Coyotes
      • Colorado Avalanche
      • Los Angeles Kings
      • Minnesota Wild
      • San Jose Sharks
      • Seattle Kraken
      • St. Louis Blues
      • Vegas Golden Knights
  • Headlines
  • NHL Rumors
  • NHL Prospects
  • World Juniors
  • Archives
  • Podcast Network
  • More…
    • CHL
      • Ontario Hockey League
      • Quebec Major Junior Hockey League
      • Western Hockey League
    • Columns
    • Women’s Hockey
    • Other Leagues
    • NHL Entry Draft
    • Books
    • NHL History
  • Log in
The Hockey Writers
  • Site Index
  • NHL Salary Caps
  • Hockey 101: A Beginner’s Guide
  • Join Our Team
  • Free Newsletter
  • Store
  • Log in
The Hockey Writers
  • HOME
  • NHL Teams
    • North Division
      • Calgary Flames
      • Edmonton Oilers
      • Montreal Canadiens
      • Ottawa Senators
      • Toronto Maple Leafs
      • Vancouver Canucks
      • Winnipeg Jets
    • East Division
      • Boston Bruins
      • Buffalo Sabres
      • New Jersey Devils
      • New York Islanders
      • New York Rangers
      • Philadelphia Flyers
      • Pittsburgh Penguins
      • Washington Capitals
    • Central Division
      • Carolina Hurricanes
      • Chicago Blackhawks
      • Columbus Blue Jackets
      • Dallas Stars
      • Detroit Red Wings
      • Florida Panthers
      • Nashville Predators
      • Tampa Bay Lightning
    • West Division
      • Anaheim Ducks
      • Arizona Coyotes
      • Colorado Avalanche
      • Los Angeles Kings
      • Minnesota Wild
      • San Jose Sharks
      • Seattle Kraken
      • St. Louis Blues
      • Vegas Golden Knights
  • Headlines
  • NHL Rumors
  • NHL Prospects
  • World Juniors
  • Archives
  • Podcast Network
  • More…
    • CHL
      • Ontario Hockey League
      • Quebec Major Junior Hockey League
      • Western Hockey League
    • Columns
    • Women’s Hockey
    • Other Leagues
    • NHL Entry Draft
    • Books
    • NHL History
Home
St Louis Blues

St. Louis Blues Set New Franchise Records

By Stephen Ground May 20th, 2019

Facebook Twitter LinkedIn WhatsApp

The St. Louis Blues completed their most dominant performance of the postseason Sunday afternoon when they defeated the San Jose Sharks by a score of 5-0 to take a 3-2 lead in the Western Conference Final. It was a fast-paced and unique performance, and in the process, the Blues set a number of franchise records.

Blues’ Best Season Ever

Though the Blues reached the Stanley Cup Final in each of their first three seasons as a franchise, they had never in their history won 11 games in a single postseason. Their previous high was 10, which they did only twice: in 1985-86, and in 2015-16.

Pat Maroon Ben Bishop
Pat Maroon congratulated Ben Bishop after the Blues’ quarterfinal win. The two St. Louis natives know just how long the Blues have waited to play for a Stanley Cup (Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports)

When the Blues arrived in the NHL, they were slotted in the Western Conference with the other six expansion teams. That guaranteed that one of the newcomers would make the Final, but also all but assured that said team would be a sacrificial lamb to one of the Original Six teams. That was indeed the case, as the Blues made it to the Stanley Cup Final three straight seasons, but were swept each time, twice by the Montreal Canadiens and once by the Boston Bruins.

St. Louis still has never won a single game in the Stanley Cup Final, and they need one more victory to give themselves another chance, but this season’s team has officially had more postseason success than any of its predecessors.

Binnington’s Bold Performance

Much of the Blues’ success in the postseason (as well as their resurgence to make the playoffs) has been fueled by rookie goaltender Jordan Binnington. Since his debut on Jan. 3, a shutout against the Philadelphia Flyers, he has been the talk of the town, but questions lingered as to whether he could keep it up in the postseason.

St. Louis Blues Jordan Binnington
St. Louis Blues goaltender Jordan Binnington has been the Michelangelo of the Blues’ renaissance (THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP, Tom Gannam)

While his postseason performance has actually been weaker than his extraterrestrial regular season numbers, Binnington has still shined, especially in the big moments. He has a .912 save percentage (SV%) and a 2.44 goals-against average (GAA) overall in the postseason. But in games numbers 5, 6, or 7, he’s been extraordinary: he’s 5-1 with a .947 SV% and a 1.25 GAA in those games.

It goes without saying that Binnington’s 11 postseason wins are the most for any goaltender, rookie or otherwise, in Blues’ history. But he also has joined an elite club of just 10 goaltenders who have recorded 10 or more postseason wins as a rookie. That group includes Felix Potvin, Cam Ward, Matt Murray, Ken Dryden, and Patrick Roy (who leads the pack with 15 postseason wins.) No goaltender has ever won all 16 games in capturing a Stanley Cup as a rookie.

“That’s a great honor, obviously,” Binnington told NHL.com about his 10th win. “I’m having a lot of fun back here playing with this team and they’re doing a great job. They limited chances tonight. I think we played a complete game, so I just try do to my job.”

In addition, he is the only rookie goaltender in Blues’ history to record a shutout in the postseason. Championship or not, there is no question that Binnington is St. Louis’ goaltender of the future. His is one of the truly remarkable and unexpected stories in hockey this season.

Schwartz & Tarasenko Set Records

Sunday’s game also featured two more individual records. Jaden Schwartz scored a goal with just under four minutes remaining in the third period to secure his second hat trick of the playoffs (the first came in Game 5 against the Winnipeg Jets in round one). No St. Louis player has ever had two three-goal performances in a single playoff.

Finally, Vladimir Tarasenko got a unique solo accomplishment when he scored his seventh goal of the postseason on a penalty shot in the second period. It was the first successful postseason penalty shot in Blues’ franchise history, and he became just the fourth player in NHL history to score on a penalty shot in the Conference Finals/Semifinals. The other three to do it were Wayne Gretzky, Joe Sakic, and Mats Sundin, so Tarasenko joins some truly elite company in that regard.

A Date With Destiny?

St. Louis needs just one more victory to punch their ticket to their first Stanley Cup Final since 1970, when they were defeated by the Bruins and Bobby Orr’s famous flying goal. It is beyond fitting that those same Bruins await the winner of the Western Conference Final. Could the Blues be on their way to another matchup with Boston, 50 years in the making?

Maroon on potentially clinching spot in Stanley Cup final Tuesday: “We’re close. We’re very close right now. I think the guys know that. It’s in the back of their heads, but we know that that’s a good hockey team over there too and they’re not going to give up.” #stlblues

— Jeremy Rutherford (@jprutherford) May 19, 2019

One thing is certain: this team won’t take anything for granted. Their first priority is securing victory against the Sharks in Game 6, which takes place on Tuesday night in St. Louis. If the Blues hear “Gloria” one more time in their locker room, they’ll be Western Conference Champions for the first time in almost 50 years.

  • Tags
  • 2019 NHL Playoffs
  • Jaden Schwartz
  • Jordan Binnington
  • Vladimir Tarasenko
Facebook Twitter LinkedIn WhatsApp

Get theScore App Now!
Recent Posts
Jan 20th 6:10 PM
Column

Red Wings News & Rumors: Protocol, Rasmussen, Howard & More

Jan 20th 6:00 PM
Nashville Predators

Predators’ Forward Depth Leading to Wins

Jan 20th 5:35 PM
Column

Islanders Weekly: Shutouts, Injury Scares & Scoring Concerns

Jan 20th 4:33 PM
Archives

2010 NHL Entry Draft: 5 Forgotten Picks

Jan 20th 4:15 PM
Vegas Golden Knights

3 Pros and 3 Cons to Golden Knights’ Goalie Split

Jan 20th 4:05 PM
Florida Panthers

Panthers Offense Flourishes but Goaltending & Special Teams Need Work

Jan 20th 3:15 PM
Column

Red Wings Wednesday Weekly: Hockey is Back Everyone!

Jan 20th 2:35 PM
Chicago Blackhawks

Blackhawks Seeing Hot Starts From Some but Serious Concerns Linger

Jan 20th 2:20 PM
NHL Entry Draft

2021 NHL Draft Rankings: Baracchini’s Top 75 Rankings

Jan 20th 1:50 PM
Philadelphia Flyers

Flyers’ Goaltending & Defense Among Standouts Through Week 1

Editor’s Picks
World Junior Championship All-Time Leading Scorers

World Junior Championship All-Time Leading Scorers

2021 Guide To the World Junior Championship

2021 Guide To the World Junior Championship

Masthead

Newsletters

RSS Feeds

Privacy Statement

Contact Us

About THW…

Founded in 2009, The Hockey Writers is a premier destination for news and information on everything hockey. Updated daily with news and features from over 130 writers worldwide. Over 2 million monthly readers now come to THW for their hockey fix.

© The Hockey Writers 2020. All rights reserved.
logo
  • HOME
  • Hockey Headlines
  • NHL Rumors
  • North Division
    • Calgary Flames
    • Edmonton Oilers
    • Montreal Canadiens
    • Ottawa Senators
    • Toronto Maple Leafs
    • Vancouver Canucks
    • Winnipeg Jets
  • East Division
    • Boston Bruins
    • Buffalo Sabres
    • New Jersey Devils
    • New York Islanders
    • New York Rangers
    • Philadelphia Flyers
    • Pittsburgh Penguins
    • Washington Capitals
  • Central Division
    • Carolina Hurricanes
    • Chicago Blackhawks
    • Columbus Blue Jackets
    • Dallas Stars
    • Detroit Red Wings
    • Florida Panthers
    • Nashville Predators
    • Tampa Bay Lightning
  • West Division
    • Anaheim Ducks
    • Arizona Coyotes
    • Colorado Avalanche
    • Los Angeles Kings
    • Minnesota Wild
    • San Jose Sharks
    • Seattle Kraken
    • St Louis Blues
    • Vegas Golden Knights
  • World Juniors
  • CHL
    • Ontario Hockey League
    • Quebec Major Junior Hockey League
    • Western Hockey League
  • THW Podcast Network
  • Store
  • FREE Newsletter
  • Search THW
  • More…
    • Join Our Team
    • The THW Archives
    • Prospects
    • The Goalie Page
    • NHL Salary Cap Information