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Canada's goaltending disadvantage is major long-term problem
Team Canada goalie Jordan Binnington (50) makes a save against Team United States in the first period during a 4 Nations Face-Off ice hockey game at the Bell Centre. Eric Bolte-Imagn Images

Canada's goaltending disadvantage vs. USA is major long-term problem

By Adam Gretz  |  Last updated Feb 16, 2025 12:24 AM ET

There were several reasons why the United States was able to secure a 3-1 win over Canada in Saturday's 4 Nations Face-off game, clinching a spot in the tournament's championship game on Thursday night in Boston. 

Canada had some injury issues on defense that limited it, while head coach Jon Cooper leaned a little too heavily on the safety net that his Tampa Bay Lightning players may have given him. 

The biggest reason, however, is that the U.S. has one of the best goalies in the world in Connor Hellebuyck (Winnipeg Jets) and Canada, quite simply, does not. 

Not only does Canada not have one of the best goalies in the world, it does not even have a reliable above average goalie anywhere on its roster. 

It is a problem. A big problem. It also does not seem to be going away anytime soon for them. 

At first glance it might be difficult to put too much blame on the goalie on a night where the starter, Jordan Binnington (St. Louis Blues), only allowed two goals (the third USA goal was an empty-net goal) and his teammates only gave him one goal of support. 

But that does not really paint the entire picture or clearly tell the story.

Because when you watch how those goals were scored for the United States, and why Canada did not score more, it becomes very, very apparent that goaltending swung everything.

Neither goal that Binnington allowed (to Jake Guentzel and Dylan Larkin) is one that he would probably like to have on his personal highlight reel. That is especially true for the first goal against Guentzel that was not a good goal to allow. It has to be stopped every time. 

He is also arguably the biggest reason Canada did not beat Sweden in regulation in the opening game of the tournament, costing it an important point in the round-robin portion of the event. In two games he has managed only a .895 save percentage, which is never good enough for a goalie in any context. 

It is not an unexpected problem, either. 

Binnington has been a below average goalie in the NHL for the past couple of years, and has progressively gotten worse since winning a Stanley Cup with the Blues during the 2018-19 season. The fact that he is the goalie Canada trusts the most in a best-on-best tournament is a testament to how far it has fallen off at the position. 

If there is one position a team can not afford to be weak at, it is goalie. It is the one position that can completely change a team's expectations. 

Canada has world-class players all over its lineup and a collection of the best players in the world, specifically as it relates to Sidney Crosby, Connor McDavid, Nathan MacKinnon and Cale Makar. But the goaltending just does not match that talent level.

Conversely, the United States does have the goaltending. Hellebuyck's play on Saturday is a big reason -- perhaps the biggest reason — Canada's lineup only managed a single goal. The chances were there. But Hellebuyck was just simply better. A lot better. 

The concerning thing for Canada, especially in relation to the United States, is that Canada does not really have any potential solution in the pipeline before the 2026 Olympics next winter. Not only does the United States still have Hellebuyck in the prime of his career, it also has reliable players behind him in Jake Oettinger (Dallas Stars) and Jeremy Swayman (Boston Bruins). Any of those three goalies would easily start for Canada, and likely make it a tournament favorite. 

As long as Binnington is the goalie it has to rely on, the ceiling might be lower than anybody in Hockey Canada wants to admit. It is also why the ceiling for the United States might be higher than it has ever been. It certainly played a role on Saturday. 

Adam Gretz

Adam Gretz is a freelance writer based in Pittsburgh. He covers the NHL, NFL, MLB and NBA. Baseball is his favorite sport -- he is nearly halfway through his goal of seeing a game in every MLB ballpark. Catch him on Twitter @AGretz

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