Canada will return to their pre-tournament projected starter against France in the team’s final preliminary-round game.
St. Louis Blues netminder Jordan Binnington will regain the crease when his country takes on France at 10:40 AM ET in Milano. It will be his second start of the Olympics after stopping all 26 shots sent his way in a 5-0 win over Czechia on Thursday.
Binnington made 15 saves against France in his first start of the 2025 World Championship.
Binnington’s selection to Canada in the first place was widely criticized. He was the worst-performing goalie of the three Canadians named to the team, statistically. His .864 save percentage is the worst among 27 goalies with at least 30 starts, and his -13.68 5v5 goals saved above expected was the worst overall.
But when Binnington has had to play in big games, he has delivered. The 32-year-old first represented Canada as a backup at the 2013 World Juniors. After winning the Stanley Cup with St. Louis in 2019, Binnington went on to establish himself as the team’s starter. While he has had some strong showings – including a 6-2 run with Canada at the 2024 World Championship – Binnington has been one of the worst starters in the NHL over the past two seasons. Despite that, Binnington led Canada to gold at the inaugural 4 Nations Face-Off and registered two shutouts in three victories at the 2025 World Championship a few months later.
Logan Thompson started the second game for Canada, allowing a power-play goal in the first before finishing the 5-1 victory with 24 stops.
Canada will look to finish the group stage with a perfect 3-0 record over a French team seeking its first win. If the Canadians finish the day with the best goal differential in the tournament, they will hold the top seed in the quarterfinal on Wednesday, giving them a more favorable playoff opponent.
Brad Marchand and Josh Morrissey will remain out, with Marchand being a healthy scratch. Julian Junca will get the start for France.
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