Jake Allen Returns as Brian Elliott Goes Down for St. Louis Blues
After missing 17 games with a lower body injury, St. Louis Blues starting goalie Jake Allen returned from the injured list on February 21st, and went right back into action in the Blues’ February 22nd game against the San Jose Sharks. It hadn’t been planned that way, but backup goalie Brian Elliott went down with his own lower body injury during the game, and Allen was pressed into service a little sooner than expected.
Elliott has been excellent as a backup. He’s played in 34 games this season and started 18 in a row while Allen was out. He has a record of 17-7-6, a 2.14 goals against average, and a .929 save percentage. Allen (18-10-3, 2.17, .924) is pretty similar stat wise, but it should be noted that five of his 18 victories have been shutouts. The Blues are becoming a factor in the Central Division race; with 79 points, they are three behind the front running Dallas Stars and one point behind the Chicago Blackhawks. Elliot is out at least four weeks with his injury, and the Blues recalled Pheonix Copley from the American Hockey League to fill in as backup goalie. He has some big skates to fill.
Here’s a Brian Elliot highlight reel:
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NHL goalies are incredible. They must have lighting -fast reflexes to catch or stop a puck. But the play is not over once the puck is deflected, as Corey Crawford has learned, as the rebounds from shots can lead to easier goals; they must dampen the shots. They must be crouched like a shortstop, with vision from incredible angles, coordinate their defense, peer around large centers, all while trying to shots topping 100mph. If they are successful 9 out of 10 times, they are sub-par.