Why was Jordan Binnington fined $5000? Looking at Blues goaltender's penalty for Luke Evangelista hit

St. Louis Blues goaltender Jordan Binnington was recently fined $5,000, the maximum allowed under the NHL's Collective Bargaining Agreement.

After reviewing the incident, NHL Player Safety tweeted on X:

"St. Louis’ Jordan Binnington has been fined $5,000, the maximum allowable under the CBA, for high-sticking Nashville’s Luke Evangelista."

The high-sticking incident happened at 19:14 of the third period on Saturday during NHL Game No. 855 in St. Louis.

Below is a video of the incident:

The $5,000 fine will go to the Players’ Emergency Assistance Fund to ensure the money serves a meaningful purpose within the NHL community.

Jordan Binnington and the Blues ultimately lost 5-2

Filip Forsberg and Ryan O’Reilly led the charge for the Nashville Predators in a dominant 5-2 victory over the St. Louis Blues. The game also saw goaltender Juuse Saros showcase an outstanding performance with 35 saves. Coach Andrew Brunette commended Saros for his resilience:

“He was unbelievable ... He’s been really dialed in.”

Luke Evangelista, Colton Sissons and Luke Schenn also contributed goals for Nashville. Despite goals from Jordan Kyrou and Nathan Walker for the Blues, defenseman Torey Krug acknowledged the lack of support across the ice.

The win brought Nashville within two points of St. Louis and the final wild-card spot in the Western Conference. Brunette emphasized a focus on their game rather than the standings:

“It’s more important to me about playing our game. Let’s build on this one.”

St. Louis, losing for just the third time in their last 11 games, admitted to a subpar performance, with Kyrou acknowledging:

“We just weren’t really good at all today. Timing was off, passing was off. Just wasn’t our best game today.”

Two quick goals in the third period propelled Nashville to a commanding 4-1 lead. Forsberg, reflecting on his power-play goal, commented:

“That was nice.”

Schenn, scoring his first goal of the season, expressed excitement about contributing to the win:

“That’s what I’m most excited about.”

O'Reilly added an empty-net goal, securing his 20th goal of the season. Evangelista's breakaway goal and Sissons' early marker set the tone for Nashville's strong start. Kyrou capitalized on a two-man advantage late in the first period, eventually winning the contest.