Jasen Vinlove – USA TODAY Sports
At the beginning of the season, Jaroslav Halak was the number one goalie for the St. Louis Blues until he suffered a groin injury in February then lingering effects that took him back out of the equation in April. This led the way for Brian Elliott to take over as the Blues number one who has done a pretty good job especially in this end stretch.
Halak was finally activated from injured reserve today and is backing up Elliott in tonight’s game against the Calgary Flames.
With Halak being activated after only playing 16 games this season and Elliott playing so well as of late, the question remains who will be St. Louis’ primary goalie heading into the playoffs? This would appear to be an easy decision for the Blues as it would make sense to ride out Elliott’s streak through the playoffs especially since he’s loose and comfortable already playing.
However, Halak is rested and Elliott could probably use a break. With only playing 16 games, Halak has 1.81 goals-against average (GAA) and six wins, which isn’t all that bad. Realistically, Elliott has only played six more games than Halak and has a 2.14 GAA with 12 wins.
It seems that regardless of who St. Louis decides to start in net that the team will have dependable netminding that will carry them through the playoffs especially if they end up playing equal time, which may not be a bad idea.
Stephanie Lewark is an NHL and Pittsburgh Penguins Senior Writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow her on Twitter (@steelcitysports), check out her Facebook page, or add her to your Google+ circle.
