NEWARK, N.J. — In an impressive display, Jordan Binnington recorded his 16th career shutout by stopping 32 shots in a commanding 3-0 victory over the New Jersey Devils on Wednesday night. This win marked a milestone for Binnington, as he set the franchise record for the St. Louis Blues with his 152nd victory, surpassing the previous record held by Mike Liut. His achievement came during the 298th game of his NHL career.

The Blues’ offensive effort was led by Dylan Holloway, who netted two goals, while Robert Thomas made an incredible impact by scoring just nine seconds into the game. Additional support came from Justin Faulk, Pavel Buchnevich, Brandon Saad, and Jake Neighbours, all of whom contributed assists. Remarkably, all three goals from the Blues were scored in the first period. Prior to this game, St. Louis had been outscored 23-12 in the initial frame throughout the season.

Tragedy struck for the Devils as Jacob Markstrom, playing in his 500th career game, managed to stop 15 shots. Despite dominating the shot count at 32-18, New Jersey struggled to capitalize, only landing seven shots during three power-play opportunities. They also played without forward Timo Meier, who was handed a one-game suspension for an incident involving a cross-check to Nashville Predators’ Zachary L’Heureux during a recent game that ended in a 5-2 victory.

Takeaways from the match show that the Blues are thriving under new head coach Jim Montgomery, who had only recently taken over after being dismissed by Boston. With the coaching change, the team has clinched two consecutive road wins, reversing a trend where they had lost nine out of eleven games.

For the Devils, this match was disappointing despite their recent form, as they had won 10 out of their last 14 games, but all four losses in that stretch came from being shut out.

A notable moment from the game was Thomas’ quick strike just after the opening face-off, making it the fastest goal to start a match this season. Additionally, the Blues’ defensive effort was solidified by blocking 24 shots, with six attributed to defenseman Ryan Suter, aiding in achieving their second shutout of the season.

Looking ahead, the Blues are set to host the Philadelphia Flyers on Saturday before hitting the road for a four-game journey. Meanwhile, the Devils will travel to Detroit on Friday, marking their third game in just five days.