3 reasons why Team Canada should replace Jordan Binnington as starting goalie against Finland

Team Canada faces its most important game of the 4 Nations Face-Off on Monday afternoon against Team Finland. With a regulation win, Canada will move on to face the US in the tournament final. With a loss, though, Canada could fail to reach the final.

To ensure that the Canadians make it past Finland, coach Jon Cooper must consider turning to Adin Hill for the crucial matchup against the Finns. So, here are three key reasons why Team Canada must replace Jordan Binnington in the crease against Team Finland on Monday afternoon.

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Three reasons why Team Canada should replace Jordan Binnington as starting goaltender

#3 Change in momentum

Team Canada needs a change in momentum heading into its crucial game against the Finns. The Canadians had momentum on their side for 40 minutes against Team Sweden before blowing up a 3-1 third-period lead.

Then, Canada was mostly on its heels against the Americans for most of the night. At times, it seemed as though Canada was trying to play a perfect game, seemingly lacking confidence. As such, a change in the crease could give the Canadians the boost they need to come back and pull out a win against Finland.

#2 Much-needed confidence boost

Speaking of confidence, Team Canada needs a boost heading into its next game against Finland. But beyond a boost in terms of scoring, the Canadians could also use a confidence boost in their goaltender. Dylan Larkin’s go-ahead goal on Saturday night was a prime example of that.

The Canadians made a crucial mistake during a botched line change. When the play came back the other way, defenseman Devon Toews made the right play by taking the pass away from Larkin. That left Binnington to face Larkin as the shooter. Larkin scored to lift the Americans.

Had Binnington bailed his team out on that play, the outcome could have been much different. However, Binnington failed to bail out his team, and the Americans eventually won the game.

#1 Canada should follow Finland’s example

The Canadians should take a page out of Finland’s book by swapping netminders. In their first game, the Finns started Juuse Saros but lost 6-1 to USA. So, Finland turned to Kevin Lankinen on Saturday afternoon.

The move worked, as the Finns pulled out an exciting 4-3 overtime win. While Lankinen didn’t quite steal the game for Finland, he played well enough to secure the win for his team. Most importantly, Lankinen gave the Finns the confidence they needed.

As such, Canada should turn to Adin Hill for Monday afternoon’s tilt. In doing so, Hill could provide a similar boost as Lankinen did for the Finns. Eventually, the Canadians lose nothing in going with a fresh goaltender as opposed to riding Binnington who hasn’t been the most reliable goalie in the tournament.