ST. LOUIS _ For only the second time in the NHL, and the first time in the regular season, St. Louis Blues goalie Jordan Binnington was pulled from a game.
It was that kind of night or the Blues, who were routed 5-2 by the Toronto Maple Leafs on Saturday at Enterprise Center.
The Blues fell to 18-7-6 on the season; Toronto improved to 14-13-4.
Binnington was gone in favor of Jake Allen after allowing two goals to Zach Hyman and one apiece to Auston Mathews and Jason Spezza in 12 minutes 57 seconds of action in the first period.
Hyman's second goal of the night, and his fifth of the season, was a shorthanded goal on a Blues power play. Spezza's goal, his fourth of the season, came on the power play with the Blues' Nathan Walker off for holding.
Binnington allowed his four goals on only 11 shots. The only other time he has been pulled from an NHL game came in Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Final, a 7-2 loss to Boston n which Binnington was pulled midway through the second period after allowing five goals on 19 shots.
Ivan Barbashev scored for the Blues, who trailed 4-1 after the first period, on an assist from Robert Thomas.
Things didn't get any better in the second period. Matthews, who had gone five games without a goal entering Saturday's contest for Toronto, got his second of the night and 18th of the season. It was on the power play goal, beating Allen at the 9:29 mark of the second period.
So it was 5-1 Maple Leafs entering the third period. The Blues could manage only a David Perron goal, his 12th of the season, in the final period.
