Goaltending

[elkranio]

Time to panic eh?
But seriously, what do you think about our goalies? A lot of people said that goaltending wasn't our problem and I agree with that. However it very well might be.

I remember Elliot played his best hockey right after Miller arrived. He didn't have to think about being number one or a backup and just played his game.
However this season he will be clearly the number one according to Hitch who told JR that Allen will be playing under 40 games.

So whaddaya think?

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[Dbrownss]

He'll be fine, he's wanted this and now he gets his chance. I'm more interested in what Corsi will do for him.

 

[BlueDream]

Not even worried about the regular season, this team has so much talent that they will hit 100+ points again. Elliott and Allen are good enough to do that with the guys in front of them.

All that matters to me is the playoffs. I could see Elliott getting it done, but I could see him not as well. We'll just have to wait and see, but I'm glad this is the direction we're going. Let's give these guys a chance to see what they can do.

 

[superblues]

I am concerned about our goaltending going into this season. I don't think our tandem will be a disaster, but I also don't think it will have the level of consistency we as fans have come to demand in recent years. I am concerned that an untimely injury will force too much pressure and too many starts on the remaining healthy goalie.

But what do I know? I've been wrong about pretty much everything regarding this team since Miller.

 

[Captain Creampuff]

I'm not to worried about our goaltending. Only time Elliott has truly struggled for a large stretch of games was when the whole team was playing bad. His numbers for us are outstanding. The guy works his ass off for the team and now that he is given the starting role I think he can run away with it.

Gonna say

52 GP 2.09 GAA .919 Sv% for Elliott

30 GP 2.34 GAA .913 Sv% for Allen

If the team is playing well come playoffs, we all know Elliott can go on a hot streak. I like our chances with this tandem.

 

[Hooliganx3]

If we score I have no worries about our goaltending.

 

[Vladys Gumption]

I am perfectly content with the duo. Elliott seems to play best when fighting for time. I suspect Allen will push him pretty hard for playing time. Then again, I'm a big believer in Allen and though he should have made the team last season. Goaltending has not been the issue for quite some time.

 

[medkit]

Elliott is usually an awesome goaltender. When things are going smooth, he dominates. But inevitably there are always stretches where we suck for a couple games and take a bad loss or two. That's when I worry about if he can shrug it off and bounce back. Hopefully Allen is solid enough to right the ship if that happens.

 

[SweetyV]

Guys..were going to have about six 40 goal scorers this year..

We don't even need a goalie.

 

[BluesTraveller]

We will finish with 100-115 pts in the regular season barring some ridiculous rash of injuries.

All that really matters is what the goaltending situation looks like after the trade deadline. That is when we will need to start worrying.

 

[Majorityof1]

We will finish with 100-115 pts in the regular season barring some ridiculous rash of injuries.

All that really matters is what the goaltending situation looks like after the trade deadline. That is when we will need to start worrying.

No. That is what got us in trouble last time. You can bring a forward or a D in at the trade deadline and its fine. If they don't fit in, you bury them. Just ask Vanek about playing on the 4th line. Goalie is a much more difficult position to adjust to. If a forward makes a mistake, it may be a turnover or a missed scoring chance. A possibility or a lost possibility. If a goalie makes a mistake, it is a goal. A certainty. And there is not many spots to bury them. You usually trade your starter away when you acquire one. We need our goaltending sorted long before the trade deadline.

I am not worried about Elliot and Allen. I am worried about not having a backup capable goalie in the AHL. Allen will struggle as he has not had much NHL exposure. It comes with the territory of being a regular NHL goalie. Last time, it didn't matter how he did. He couldn't have been much worse than how the other goalies had been doing. Now it matters as their is no relief. If he falters, the team is in trouble. Same for Elliot. He has always been a backup playing for a few games, he might struggle with the pressure as well. If they can take the pressure, they have the talent to be good. The real issue is if one gets hurt. Then we have nobody to take over. The pressure and amount of games becomes a strain on the others.

We need to sign someone to the AHL who can come up in play in the NHL. If a guy like Giguere would take a two way contract, that would be awesome, but I highly doubt it. We should look at Curry. He came up for Minnesota and did amazing against us, letting in 2 goals on 45 shots. I have watched him a lot in the ECHL. The AHL would be a step up, so he would definitely would take the contract. He also his head and shoulders above the average ECHL goalie. He is a solid vet that has proven he can come in for an emergency and play well in the NHL. Don't know who else is available outside a trade or some crazy scouting by our guys. I just know we need someone to call up besides Binnington, Lundstrom and Husso, unless they are more ready than I think.

 

[Yoko Ono*]

Goaltending and soft Dmen will sink this team in the playoffs again. Enjoy the regular season guys.

 

[BluesTraveller]

No. That is what got us in trouble last time. You can bring a forward or a D in at the trade deadline and its fine. <snip>
.

I didn't mean trade for a goalie, I meant we will know more about how they are playing around the trade deadline. Merely as a time frame in the season.

 

[STL BLUES]

St. Louis Blues Goaltending Records Currently Held by Brian Elliott:

Most Season Shutouts: 9 Brian Elliott - 2011-2012
Lowest Goals Against Average For A Season: 1,56 Brian Elliott - 2011-2012
Highest Save Percentage For A Season: .940 Brian Elliott - 2011-2012
Blues Career Lowest Goals Against Average: 1.86 Brian Elliott
Blues Career Highest Save Percentage .927 Brian Elliott

We can't have everything perfect -- these numbers are pretty dam good though!

Allen will tutelage under a technically sound mentor. All is well with the Note!

 

[Jzk]

I could careless about goaltending. Elliott is one of the best goalies in the league when he plays around 40 games. Allen just needs more NHL experience and he'll get if this year.

 

[thedustman]

Quick just won the cup with a .911 save percentage. If the blues can score 3 goals a game in the playoffs, I don't care about our goaltending. Elliott and allen can manage that. An injury could make things interesting...

 

[2 Minute Minor]

Differential of shots per game and scoring chances per game is going to be how this team wins games. The goalies will play and get confident with a team that is controlling the puck in front of them.

I think this post-season was also a good illustration that regular season accomplishments aren't going to buy you any playoff rounds. I expect the team to play well, but I also hope that they are better poised for the post-season this time. If that means winning the division, great. If its some other playoff matchup, I'm fine with that too. Its going to be awfully fun to watch the bloodbath that is the Central Division.

 

[thedustman]

Differential of shots per game and scoring chances per game is going to be how this team wins games. The goalies will play and get confident with a team that is controlling the puck in front of them.

I think this post-season was also a good illustration that regular season accomplishments aren't going to buy you any playoff rounds. I expect the team to play well, but I also hope that they are better poised for the post-season this time. If that means winning the division, great. If its some other playoff matchup, I'm fine with that too. Its going to be awfully fun to watch the bloodbath that is the Central Division.

Winning the division will be very worthwhile, especially for a team like the blues who could use some postseason confidence (the goalies, too). If we win the division, we probably avoid the kings or hawks in the first round. Next season will be very fun to watch

 

[2 Minute Minor]

Winning the division will be very worthwhile, especially for a team like the blues who could use some postseason confidence (the goalies, too). If we win the division, we probably avoid the kings or hawks in the first round. Next season will be very fun to watch

I agree, but I also wonder whether putting emphasis on trying to win the Presidents Trophy contributed to the team being ground down at the end of the season. I think Hitchcock was trying to create motivation for a team that had clinched a playoff spot weeks before. But when they fell short, it started to feel like a disappointment and a big negative.

I'll trade winning the division for coming into the post-season firing on all cylinders. But ideally the Blues do both.

 

[LGB51]

I am concerned about our goaltending going into this season. I don't think our tandem will be a disaster, but I also don't think it will have the level of consistency we as fans have come to demand in recent years. I am concerned that an untimely injury will force too much pressure and too many starts on the remaining healthy goalie.

But what do I know? I've been wrong about pretty much everything regarding this team since Miller.

I'm taking the Kings and their fans approach, regular season doesn't matter. Just get us to the playoffs, then start to give it everything ya got. That goes for our forwards, and defense-men as well, just play well enough (without killing themselves & using to much energy) to get us into the playoffs, then give it all you got. This going all out for 82 games is breaking down our guys so bad, by the time the PO get here, they are either injured, or have very little left in the tank.

 

[GoldenSeal]

While Elliott has had slumps that have sent him to Peoria, he has proven that not only can he bounce back from them and dominate but that he has no ceiling. When he gets hot, he is virtually a wall. He has a setup and a style that is quite possibly the most sound of any goaltender and when he's on, you're not knocking him off. With an offense as strong as the one the Blues are assembling, it's going to help Elliott and Allen's confidence and they will strengthen the resolve of the rest of the team.

To me, the problem has been Elliott, who has been the better netminder, to having to accept that Halak was the starter, even though Elliott earned the starting position the year he went All-Star. The confidence in Elliott starting over Halak is quite clear when the Blues traded off Halak for Miller in a showing of no confidence.

While many may question Elliott's abilities from his days before wearing the Note, one has to realize that Halak was signed into a starting role after being a backup while Elliott earned being the starter by playing his best games, becoming an All-Star and earning a number of franchise records as a Blue. Fact is, there isn't anyone out there that the Blues can get without tearing their team apart that's going to give them a better chance than Brian Elliott. Elliott is the one that took over in the Playoffs when Halak was injured and Elliott was the one that kept them within 1-2 goals of winning. The offense was at fault, not Elliott. If these things don't earn him the starter reigns, then you're simply letting the past speak for a man who has moved past the past and become a better and more stable and consistant netminder.

And even if something did happen to Elliott and Allen had to take over, you got Bings in the system. It's not like the team is going to fall apart. Trading Halak, letting Miller walk and giving Elliott the opportunity is epic addition through subtraction.

 

[Dbrownss]

Look at the sharks and kings series. Quick was getting destroyed, but they kept him in and never gave up on him. I hope we do the same with Elliott to an extent.

 

[PerryTurnbullfan]

Or perhaps we have a new strategy come playoff time regarding the soft D. Lindbohm and Edmundson aren't soft and will be coming along... Why not sit some of the figure skaters and smaller players more come playoff time for a different modified strategy? Play the body, clear the crease or cut your ice time come playoffs. Bit extreme, but who really cares about the President's trophy? Did we not just see how the Kings won the cup? Sit the coach too as he obviously doesn't understand adjustments....

 

[Tryblot]

I'm taking the Kings and their fans approach, regular season doesn't matter. Just get us to the playoffs, then start to give it everything ya got. That goes for our forwards, and defense-men as well, just play well enough (without killing themselves & using to much energy) to get us into the playoffs, then give it all you got. This going all out for 82 games is breaking down our guys so bad, by the time the PO get here, they are either injured, or have very little left in the tank.

I agree. At this point there aren't any easy match-ups once you get to the playoffs. Dallas and Minnesota were the 7-8 seeds and both improved by quite a bit. Just make the playoffs and do what you gotta do there.

 

[SirPaste]

The only thing that worries me is if one of them gets a serious injury and misses a lot of time, I guess we would bring up Binnington but I don't think he is ready, but if both stay healthy I'm completely fine with it going into the season