Blues' Binnington focused on his game with Canadian Olympic selection looming

Jordan Binnington knows the chatter is out there. He's leaning on the mindset that's pulled him through tough stretches before.

The goalie who backstopped Canada at the 4 Nations Face-Off opened the NHL season as the front-runner to start in February's Milan-Cortina Games. But a sluggish start, for both him and the St. Louis Blues, has raised questions about where he fits in Canada's Olympic plan.

"I'm aware of what's going on, and you want to put yourself in the best position to make that team and make it easy for people making the decision," he said. "At the same time, I feel like I've been around the league for a decent amount of time and I know that if I control my inner world and what I need to do to feel at my best, then the rest will take care of itself.

"That's where my focus goes."

Sunday night was a step in that direction.

Binnington made 23 saves in a 4-3 victory over the hometown Montreal Canadiens, thwarting several Grade-A chances, including a last-second look from Canadiens sniper Cole Caufield in the crease, to earn his seventh win this season.

It was a strong outing amid a difficult campaign for the 32-year-old from Richmond Hill, Ont., who's posting career-low stats across the board.

Binnington has a .875 save percentage, ranking 68th leaguewide and sixth-last among goalies with at least 10 games played. His minus-10.86 goals-saved above average, measuring how a goalie compares to the league average, is also fifth-worst according to analytics website Natural Stat Trick.

"Numbers aren't necessarily where you want them to be," the six-foot-two, 172-pound netminder said. "I've been approaching it as just focusing on my own process and what I need to feel good at the right time. I'm building my game