Blues’ Regular-Season Point Total Opens at 96.5; STL Finished with 99 Last Year, Despite Awful Start

• Jordan Binnington was the first rookie goaltender in NHL history to record 16 wins in a single postseason besting the previous record of 15 set by four goaltenders.
• Craig Berube received a three year contract from the St Louis Blues after guiding them to their first-ever Stanley Cup.
• St Louis has signed several players from that Stanley Cup run including Oskar Sundqvist and Carl Gunnarsson. Gunnarsson scored the overtime game-winner against the Bruins to give the Blues their first-ever win in the Stanley Cup Final.

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The 2019 Stanley Cup Playoffs were an interesting one to be sure as teams like the Tampa Bay Lightning and Calgary Flames were dominant in the regular season but were upset in a big way by Columbus Blue Jackets and Colorado Avalanche teams who were below them in the standings.

There was no bigger surprise than the St Louis Blues who on January 3rd of this year were 31st in the NHL but completed a miraculous turnaround and won the Stanley Cup over the Boston Bruins in 7 games.

2019-20 NHL Central Division Point Total Odds

*Odds taken on 07/26/19.

The questions entering a new season is will the Blues be able to sustain their play and successfully defend their Stanley Cup title? And also, will they go over or under their NHL season point total?

The answer lies in the team’s transactions after the Cup win and the fact that the NHL free agent deadline has past and training is the next thing the Blues will get ready for.

Signing of Binnington Provides Some of the Answers

Jordan Binnington’s role in the Blues’ turnaround and Cup win cannot be said enough. Any team who wins much less repeats for a Stanley Cup won’t do it without great goaltending. The Blues made a smart move and avoided arbitration signing him to a two-year deal worth $4.4 million a season.

Had Binnington gone to arbitration it would have cast a bit of a shadow over his accomplishments and the Blues’ stellar run.

Binnington went 24-5-1 in the regular season with a 1.89 goals-against average, a .927 save-percentage and five shutouts. Binnington did not start the season as the Blues main goalie either. He amassed this record after his first-ever NHL start in January.

Richmond Hill
Home of Stanley Cup Champion Jordan Binnington pic.twitter.com/KOc8rDEodR

— St. Louis Blues ? (@StLouisBlues) July 24, 2019

In 26 Stanley Cup Playoff games, Binnington went 16-10 with a 2.46 goals-against average, a .914 save-percentage and one shutout, becoming the first goaltender in the Blues’ 52-year history to capture a Stanley Cup for the franchise.

Craig Berube Has the Next Three Years Behind the Blues Bench

Next to Binnington, Craig Berube was also a big part of the Blues turnaround. Berube was made coach in November after the Blues let Mike Yeo go and Berube took over on an interim basis.

He led them to a 38-19-6 regular-season record and a third-place finish in the Central Division. Berube helped the Blues become just the seventh team since 1967-68 to earn a postseason berth after being last in the NHL standings at any point after New Year’s Day.

The Best Bet

With some of the key pieces of the Blues turnaround and Cup win under contract, the Blues are poised to have a strong run again next season. They will be in tough in the West as the Vegas Golden Knights look to be the favorite. Bet on the Blues to exceed the 96.5 point total.