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St. Louis Blues: Grading Blues Performances In October

By Jason Martin

ST. LOUIS, MO - OCTOBER 27: Zach Sanford #12 of the St. Louis Blues is congratulated by teammates after scoring a goal against the Chicago Blackhawks at Enterprise Center on October 27, 2018 in St. Louis, Missouri. (Photo by Joe Puetz/NHLI via Getty Images)
ST. LOUIS, MO - OCTOBER 27: Zach Sanford #12 of the St. Louis Blues is congratulated by teammates after scoring a goal against the Chicago Blackhawks at Enterprise Center on October 27, 2018 in St. Louis, Missouri. (Photo by Joe Puetz/NHLI via Getty Images) /
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WINNIPEG, MB – OCTOBER 22: Goaltender Jake Allen #34 of the St. Louis Blues keeps an eye on the puck during first period action against the Winnipeg Jets at the Bell MTS Place on October 22, 2018 in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. (Photo by Darcy Finley/NHLI via Getty Images)
WINNIPEG, MB – OCTOBER 22: Goaltender Jake Allen #34 of the St. Louis Blues keeps an eye on the puck during first period action against the Winnipeg Jets at the Bell MTS Place on October 22, 2018 in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. (Photo by Darcy Finley/NHLI via Getty Images) /

Jake Allen

Grade: C+

Jake Allen has had an up and down start to the season. After a 5-1 loss against Winnipeg on opening night, many Blues fans were already calling for the goaltender’s neck.

Allen made a career-high 49 saves about a week later in Chicago. Allen was without a doubt the reason why the Blues were able to earn a point against the Hawks that night.

He would then go on to play very well against the Canadiens, Maple Leafs and Jets during a road trip through Eastern and Central Canada. The Blues went 1-1-1 on that trip, but Allen and the Blues looked much better than they had to start the season.

Allen’s numbers to start the year are not great. He is 3-2-3 with a .874 SV% and has allowed 3.99 GAA. As mentioned on the previous slide, it takes all five guys to have an effective defensive unit, and some of these numbers are reflective of early defensive turnovers that have left Allen out to dry.

Allen is not going to be considered for a Vezina Trophy anytime soon, maybe ever, but even for Allen, this is a slow and poor start to the year. To make things worse, he was injured during his most recent game against Chicago after being run over by Zach Sanford. It appears that he has a head injury, so it will be something to keep an eye on when he comes back.

I give him a “C+” because he can not be blamed entirely for the Blues struggles this year but at the same time, there are makable saves that he has not been making. A mediocre start for Allen, but one that can be turned around with a nice streak of games.

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