Binnington stops 31, sets Blues wins record with shutout of Devils

Jordan Binnington made 31 saves and set the St. Louis Blues’ franchise record for wins with a 3-0 victory against the New Jersey Devils at Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey, on Wednesday.

Binnington earned his 152nd win in his 298th NHL game, passing Mike Liut, who had 151 wins in 347 games.

"It's nice just to get it and to accomplish something like that," Binnington said. "It's just a matter of being here long enough to get those wins and to compound those wins over time. I'm proud to be here and I'm proud to have that many wins."

The shutout was Binnington’s first of the season and 16th in the NHL. His first NHL win was also a shutout, 3-0 against the Philadelphia Flyers on Jan. 7, 2019.

Dylan Holloway scored twice in the first period, and Robert Thomas also scored for the Blues (11-12-1), who have won two in a row since Jim Montgomery took over as coach on Sunday. They defeated the New York Rangers 5-2 on Monday in Montgomery's debut.

"I really liked our first, I really liked our third, our D-zone coverage and our neutral-zone coverage in the third period shows me signs of we're going to be a good checking team over time," Montgomery said. "The third period, the D-zone coverage was excellent. We kept it to the outside. In the second period, 'Binner,' congratulations on breaking records, and he showed why in the second period because he was fantastic."

Jacob Markstrom made 16 saves for the Devils (15-8-2), who had won three in a row and eight of 10. New Jersey played without forward Timo Meier, who was suspended one game for cross-checking Nashville Predators forward Zachary L'Heureux during a 5-2 win on Monday.

"We weren't ready to play," Devils coach Sheldon Keefe said. "You spot them leads like that, they got what they needed out of the game and they're parking the bus, clogging it up and making it hard to get to their net. They're not taking any chances on offense, so the game doesn't really open up for you at all. You've just got to find your way through that, and it was clearly a struggle for us."

Thomas scored nine seconds in to give the Blues a 1-0 lead on a one-timer from the left circle off a pass by Pavel Buchnevich. He tied the St. Louis record for the second-fastest goal scored to start a game.

"We obviously started great, came with tons of energy," Blues captain Brayden Schenn said. "Tons of emotion early and got rewarded for it. We surprised them a little bit. They're a great team over there with tons of speed."

Holloway made it 2-0 at 6:23, three seconds after a Blues power play expired, with a wrist shot from the right circle.

Holloway extended it to 3-0 at 16:05 from the slot, chopping at a loose puck off Colton Parayko's one-timer from the left point. It was the first time this season St. Louis has scored three goals in the first period.

Holloway has four points (two goals, two assists) the past two games.

"Sometimes things click. I'm just going to keep working like I always do," Holloway said. "I'm feeling good about my game right now. I'm trying to stay confident, but at the same time, I have to have a short memory. You never want to get too high or too low."

The Devils outshot the Blues 24-10 over the final two periods, including 11-1 in the second, but couldn't solve Binnington.

"It was pressure but couldn't find a way to get one," New Jersey forward Stefan Noesen said. "Probably just not hard enough in those areas. ... When things aren't going the way you want, you've got to find other ways to score."

Said Montgomery of Binnington: “(He) held down the fort (in the second period) while we were struggling. But the positive out of that is, it was very obvious where we needed to get better and what we needed to continue to do well."

Buchnevich left at 7:06 of the second period favoring his right leg and did not return.

Montgomery had no update after the game, saying, "I think it's day to day, but I don't have anything."

NOTES: Along with Thomas, Rob Ramage (Jan. 24, 1987) and Andy McDonald (Nov. 11, 2010) also scored in nine seconds to start the game for the Blues. Greg Paslawski (Oct. 29, 1985) and Alexander Steen (March 16, 2010) hold the record of eight seconds. … New Jersey was shut out for the fourth time this season and second time in the past four home games.