Binnington has chance to win 4 Nations with Canada where he hoisted Stanley Cup 

BOSTON -- One game with the championship on the line, a legacy-defining moment for a goaltender at TD Garden.

Jordan Binnington has experienced this before.

In 2019, Binnington led the St. Louis Blues into the arena on Causeway Street here for Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final against the Boston Bruins. He made 32 saves in a 4-1 win, Binnington and the Blues capturing the Stanley Cup for the first time.

On Thursday, in the same arena, the same ice, same crease, Binnington will trade his blue note for his prideful maple leaf and be Canada's goalie against the United States in the championship game of the 4 Nations Face-Off (8 p.m. ET; ESPN, ESPN+, Disney+, SN, TVAS).

"I think you can take experience from that for sure in your process," Binnington said. "It's a totally different game, different team and different moment. With anything experience-wise you use that and bring it with you, but it's a new game."

Binnington clearly tried to downplay his Game 7 success in the building he'll be playing in Thursday. Then again, he's a goalie, and typically all that matters to them is stopping the next shot, which is totally fair.

But defenseman Colton Parayko, Binnington's teammate both here and in St. Louis, knows what the goalie's previous Game 7 success could mean for Canada's chances Thursday.

"It's huge," Parayko said. "He's always been big in big moments. Just the type of person he is. He's always ready. He's always there, always gives us a chance to win. We've been in a Game 7 here in Boston before, obviously it went our way and he was a big part of that. I'm excited to watch him again have a big one (Thursday). He's a gamer so he's always ready."

That's a big reason why Canada coach Jon Cooper has supported Binnington from the outset of this tournament.

He named him the starter before the opener against Sweden a week ago and didn't waver on Binnington after the 4-3 overtime win despite the fact he allowed two goals on 10 shots in the third period, with Canada giving away a 3-1 lead only to win on Mitch Marner's OT goal.

Binnington gave up two goals on 22 shots in what became a 3-1 loss to the U.S. on Saturday because of an empty-net goal from Jake Guentzel.

Heading into the game against Finland on Monday, Cooper named Binnington the starter and praised his performance against the U.S., saying it wasn't difficult at all to go back to him again against the Finns.

"Listen, the kid has played great for us," Cooper said. "He's given us a chance to win. Ultimately in the NHL if you can limit an opponent to two goals or less in a game it should give you a chance to win. He did that for us [against the U.S.]. It was a lack of goal scoring that hurt us."

Canada had a 4-1 lead late in the third period against Finland, when it had to win in regulation to clinch a spot in the final. But Binnington allowed two 6-on-5 goals to Mikael Granlund, admitting after things got "dicey" before Sidney Crosby's empty-net goal gave Canada a 5-3 win.

All told, Binnington has a 2.60 goals-against average and .892 save percentage in the tournament. He hasn't been as good as his U.S. counterpart Connor Hellebuyck (1.00 GAA, .957 save percentage in two starts).

But the opportunity in front of Canada on Thursday is why Binnington is on the team.

He is the only goalie in the tournament who has won a Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final, and he just so happened to do it right here in Boston.

"He's awesome," said Canada forward Brad Marchand, who was on the other end of that Game 7 in 2019 as a member of the Bruins. "He's such a competitor. I think that's the biggest thing. You see him, the way he focuses in the room, even practice today, just his attitude. He has the drive and the confidence to want to be the best. He has the confidence you want in your goalie.

"I actually had this conversation with him the other night, when you have a goalie that has confidence like he does it gives the entire group confidence. You feed off of that. It gives you a sense of calmness and it bleeds throughout the lineup and throughout the group. It's been incredible to have him back there. Some of the saves he's made in this tournament you're going to watch them for years and years and years. It's awesome to play with him."