The St. Louis Blues will bench goalie Jake Allen for a third straight game. Allen was told to stay home while the Blues are on a three-game road trip.
St. Louis Blues Tell Jake Allen to Stay Home
Although it was surprising, it’s only appropriate that the Blues punish Allen. In his last ten games, he’s only won three. Even worse, he’s allowed a combined 34 goals against. Throughout the entire season so far, he’s had a goals against average of 2.85. This stat places him amongst the top-40 goalies in the league, so far.
Allen hasn’t had a rough season so far. His current record is 17-12-3; but he’s been on a cold streak recently. The problem is that the Blues have started to lean more and more on their goaltending. Allen and his backup, Carter Hutton, both said they were comfortable with having to be relied on, but so far Hutton has been the only one who can be trusted to consistently win games. He’s won six out of his last ten games, which is a fairly good percentage for a backup. He even recorded a shutout against the Pittsburgh Penguins.
Hutton, Copley Promoted
Before the road trip, the Blues recalled Pheonix Copley to backup Hutton. Copley made his NHL debut in a 5-3 loss against the Winnipeg Jets. Although it was a loss, Copley had an excellent game and showed a lot of promise. He’s fairly well known for his strong work ethic and determination, and those are traits that can empower young goalies. If he can continue to show these traits off in game, like he did against Winnipeg, he’ll become a reliable go-to when the Blues are struggling in between the pipes.
The entire Blues staff are supporting Allen through his cold spell. He became a father on January 6 , and the team believes that spending time at home with his new daughter will help relieve him of the stresses he’s felt at the rink. He should be back in net when the Blues return to St. Louis, after the All-Star break.
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