Binnington named NHL Rookie of the Month for March

NEW YORK - St. Louis Blues goaltender Jordan Binnington, who went 6-3-0 with a 2.37 goals-against average and .912 save percentage in nine appearances, has been named the NHL's "Rookie of the Month" for March.

Binnington edged Blues teammate Robert Thomas (4-8-12 in 15 GP), Tampa Bay Lightning center Anthony Cirelli (5-6-11 in 13 GP), Ottawa Senators left wing Brady Tkachuk (6-4-10 in 14 GP), Minnesota Wild center Ryan Donato (3-7-10 in 15 GP) and Anaheim Ducks right wing Troy Terry (2-8-10 in 15 GP) for the honor.
Binnington - who also was named
the NHL's Rookie of the Month for February
- allowed three or fewer goals in eight of his nine appearances to spark the Blues (43-28-8, 94 points) to their
seventh playoff berth in eight seasons
, rising from the bottom of the League standings on Jan. 2 to second place in the Central Division through games of April 1.
Binnington, who made his first NHL start Jan. 7, has gone 22-5-1 (1.78 GAA, .931 SV%, 5 SO) since that date to help St. Louis return to the postseason following a one-year absence. His 22 wins in that span are tied for first in the League (w/ Andrei Vasilevskiy), while his 1.78 goals-against average paces all goaltenders with a minimum of 20 appearances.
The 25-year-old Richmond Hill, Ont., native earned his 20th victory in his 25th career start March 23 vs. TBL (39 SV). Only four other goaltenders in NHL history have accumulated as many wins through their first 25 career starts: Ross Brooks (21), Andrew Hammond (21), Frederik Andersen (20) and Bill Durnan (20).
A third-round selection (87th overall) in the 2011 NHL Draft, Binnington joins Vancouver Canucks center Elias Pettersson (October and December) as a multiple Rookie of the Month winner in 2018-19. He also is the first goaltender to earn Rookie of the Month honors in consecutive months since Steve Mason achieved the feat with the Columbus Blue Jackets in November and December 2008.

Jordan Binnington in January

Date, Opponent, SA, SV, GA, MIN, Result
March 2, , DALLAS, 20, 17, 3, 56:34, 4-1 L
March 6, at Anaheim, 27, 23, 4, 59:17, 5-4 W
March 12, ARIZONA, 21, 19, 2, 58:43, 3-1 L
March 16, at Pittsburgh, 41, 40, 1, 60:00, 5-1 W
March 19, EDMONTON, 17, 15, 2, 60:00, 7-2 W
March 21, DETROIT, 22, 20, 2, 60:00, 5-2 W
March 23, TAMPA BAY, 42, 39, 3, 60:00, 4-3 W
March 25, VEGAS, 25, 24, 1, 60:00, 3-1 W
March 29, at NY Rangers, 24, 21, 3, 57:58, 4-2 L
Totals, 239, 218, 21, 532:32, 6-3-0