Brian Elliott has been activated off of the IR and is expected to start on Saturday against the Canucks after missing 10 games with a lower-body injury. Elliott’s return comes at a great time as the Blues have stumbled in their last two games and Jake Allen looks like he needs a rest.
The timing of Elliott’s injury was pretty brutal. Allen was returning from an injury and was immediately thrown into the fire as the Blues didn’t have an opportunity to ease him back in. The team eventually traded for goaltender Anders Nilsson, but they used him sparingly as Allen found his old form and the Blues rattled off big wins against some of the league’s best.
Unfortunately, the strong streak was followed up with two bad losses to Calgary and Edmonton and suddenly the Blues had allowed 17 goals in their last three games. Allen isn’t solely at fault as the Blues played poorly in front of him, but it’s also surprising Ken Hitchcock didn’t give Allen a rest and play the goalie the Blues made a point to acquire prior to the deadline. Against the Oilers, Allen was swimming in his crease and lacked his usual sharpness.
Now, Elliott is back and the likely exhausted Allen can rest. The Blues are lucky to have two strong netminders on the roster and they’ll need both to be playing at their best if the hope to top the division or make a big playoff run.
Add The Sports Daily to your Google News Feed!
