St. Louis Blues: Playing Jake Allen Is A Gamble, But The Right Move
By Todd Panula
The St. Louis Blues had a big decision to make regarding their goaltending situation prior to Game 4 against the San Jose Sharks. They have made the correct one by inserting Jake Allen.
The St. Louis Blues have plenty of problems and the goaltender wasn’t really near the top of the list. How then, does it make sense to make a goaltending change at this stage of the game?
It makes sense, because there are only so many changes you can make to a lineup. There are only so many feasable options available to a coach.
Outside of the very remote chance Ty Rattie gets into the lineup, there aren’t any players that are being scratched from the current lineup that would make a significant change. As good as Brian Elliott has been, Jake Allen can be that significant change.
People will again question how a position that doesn’t score and doesn’t assist on goals can help a team that hasn’t had a goaltending problem. The answer is, he can’t. Not in the simplistic way many people are choosing to view this issue.
Allen isn’t going to wave a magic wand and make everything better, but perhaps he can make enough of a difference to matter. Anything to attempt to help is good at this point despite the constant, mind numbing din of complaints from fans.
Allen is a better puck handler than Elliott by far. The Blues have struggled to get the puck out of their own zone with much momentum, so if Allen can actually help in that aspect, then the Blues are better off.
If he can act almost as a third defenseman, sending pucks north quickly while the Sharks think they have an opportunity to change lines, then the Blues can get an actual transition game working. That possibility is enough to at least ponder making the change.
Allen is younger, quicker and slightly more agile than Elliott. These are not knocks on Moose’s abilities, but just simple facts of age difference. No matter how good any person is in their 30’s, they are simply not going to have the phsyical attributes of someone younger who is possibly as talented.
Allen, when on his game, is as smooth or more smooth going laterally than Elliott. His youth gives him a bit more of an advantage in movement on scramble plays. When on, Allen’s glove hand is a bit quicker too.
That is another huge reason to possibly make the change. While it’s not his fault, the book has been out on Elliott ever since Dallas dinged him in the face. Every single shot has attempted to go high on him.
Granted, almost no goaltender is bullet proof if you put one in the upper 90 of the goal. However, the Sharks don’t necessarily know the story about Allen and that brief moment of doubt can make the difference between a save, a shot going wide or a goal. Those brief moments are what the Blues need on their side right now.
Additionally, as previously pointed out, there are only so many changes you can make to the team. We already covered, in detail, how there is no consistency from the faithful about whether Ken Hitchcock should tweak lines, leave them alone or go to a certain hot place far beneath the Earth.
If nothing else, while those who hate Hitch already will not be assuaged, this is a motivational tool. It’s telling the players on the ice that they have not done enough for the goaltender who has done so much to get them to this point, so they better step it up for the current one.
It is a gamble. There is no doubt of that. It’s not that huge of a gamble as some would believe though.
Allen is not a true backup. Regardless of what any individual might think of his talents, there are a good 10-15 teams that would put him as their starter right now. He can win games on his own.
Using him as a motivational tool has worked in the past too. Think back to the fall when the Blues trailed the Blackhawks by five goals. They inserted Allen and the team rallied behind him, and by proxy behind Moose, to win the day.
Also, while you still need to rely on one goaltender for the bulk of the work in the postseason, Elliott was tired. The Blues overworked him. He was pounded with shots in an unnecessarily long series with Chicago.
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He looked weary in Game 6 after looking rubber legged in Game 5’s overtime. Then the Dallas series went longer than it needed as well. He was beset by some of the league’s most high powered scorers there too.
Elliott had played 17 straight in just the playoffs and 20 in a row overall. The highest he played in a row during the season was 18 and that was forced by Allen’s own injury and Elliott got injured himself. Additionally, those 18 in a row were not as taxing as the playoffs.
If nothing else, the Blues can always go back to Elliott in Game 5. Naysayers will say the series could be over by then, but that’s true whether Allen or Elliott plays.
The Blues have to send a message and this is as much a way to do it without completely altering the team as there is.
People whine that Elliott deserves better than this. No, he doesn’t. He’s a professional and this is part of the job.
He deserved better from his teammates, who have not supported him properly offensively or defensively in this series. He did not get better and this is what happens.
In the end, deserve has nothing to do with it. Patrick Roy didn’t deserve to be left in the net for nine goals in his last game with the Montreal Canadiens. Martin Broduer didn’t deserve to not end his career in New Jersey. It happened though.
Whether due to frustration or fatigue, Elliott’s unbeatable facade was starting to crack. He had let in some soft goals. A break might be needed. Yes, Elliott is the reason the Blues are even in this spot, but nobody is untouchable at this point.
Allen is going to step in and do a top notch job, I have no doubt. The only question remaining, is whether the change will spur enough in the rest of the team to make a difference.
Next: What Else Can HItchcock Do?
Brian Elliott was not a problem for this team, but that doesn’t mean changing goaltenders can’t be a solution.
It is the proposed solution now and as fans, we should all rally behind Jake the Snake. Like his namesake, we need him to DDT the opposition and put them in Damien’s sweet, slithery embrace.
We also need the entire roster to step it up a notch. We’ll find out soon enough if this chess move is the right one or if it leads to the Blues being put in check.