Blues goaltenders thriving under Yeo
What may have cost Ken Hitchcock his job is now making Mike Yeo look like a genius.
After a tailspin down the standings that forced general manager Doug Armstrong to take action, the St. Louis Blues' goaltenders have pulled the chutes and helped the club go 4-1-0 in five games since Hitchcock was dismissed.
The Blues' offense has also awoken after a stretch of five games that saw the team average 2.6 goals per game while going 1-4-0 prior to Yeo's promotion. Since then, the team has put an average of 3.2 goals past opposing netminders.
The biggest change in the team's play, though, has clearly been on the other side of the puck, where - compared to the five games that preceded Hitchcock's firing, which saw the Blues give up 4.4 goals per game - the goalies have allowed just 1.2 per game.
Jake Allen and Carter Hutton have been stellar. Other than a 4-1 loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins, the club hasn't allowed more than a single goal per game, shutting out the Philadelphia Flyers and Ottawa Senators.
| Goalie | Games | Shots against | Saves | Save percentage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Allen | 4 | 119 | 114 | .958 |
| Hutton | 1 | 26 | 26 | 1.00 |
The stretch of strong play has helped the Blue not only pump the breaks on their previous skid, but also edge out the Nashville Predators for third spot in the Central Division.
Of course, it shouldn't go without mentioning that on the day Yeo took over as bench boss, future Hall of Fame netminder Martin Brodeur extended his duties beyond assistant general manager, taking over as a goalie coach alongside former 'tender Ty Conklin.
Not a bad voice to have in one's ear.
Allen holds a 2.69 goals-against average and a .903 save percentage, while Hutton has posted 2.65 and .902 marks, which both need to improve going forward. But if the goalies can continue to kick out pucks at a similar clip, the Blues, who give up the fifth-fewest shots against per game and boast a top-10 offense, might not be in trouble after all.