(Photo by Jeff Curry/NHLI via Getty Images)
St. Louis Blues goalie Brian Elliott has been one of the NHL’s best goalies all season long, as well as in recent seasons. This year, Elliott led the NHL in save percentage, with a save percentage of .930 (allowing only 2.07 goals per game).
But over the course of his career, the 31-year old from Canada hasn’t had his chance to truly shine in the NHL Playoffs. Players like Jaroslav Halak and Ryan Miller had competed alongside Elliott to be the Blues’ top goaltender, and it usually ended with Elliott getting the short end of the stick.
Not this year.
Even with Jake Allen having himself a good year as well, Elliott was the starter in game one of the NHL Playoffs against the Blues’ biggest rivals… the Chicago Blackhawks. This was the chance for him to shine, the moment where he could establish himself as the goalie the Blues could rely on going forward.
And he did not disappoint.
Elliott dueled on Wednesday with another top goalie in the NHL… the Blackhawks’ Corey Crawford.
Throughout the first three periods, both goalies stopped every shot, every onslaught, and every offensive surge in their wake, and keeping the game a 0-0 shutout to the point where the game headed into overtime. Chicago started to really pick up slack in overtime, getting more chances on Elliott and shooting closer in range than the Blues were against Crawford. But the veteran was prepared for anything and everything.
As overtime went on, the Blues finally got the break they need, when the captain, David Backes, fired a shot that bounced off a skate and past Crawford for the only goal of the game. Backes was named the top star of the evening, Crawford was named the third star, and Elliott was the second.
Against one of the best offenses in the NHL, led by the man who scored the most points in the NHL, Patrick Kane (106 points), Elliott saved 35 shots, while of course allowing no goals.
It’s no doubt that Blues head coach Ken Hitchcock has to keep going with Elliott while he’s on the hot streak he is, but not to push him too hard.
The bottomline is: Elliott was given a chance to shine on Wednesday night… and he took full advantage of it.
