St Louis Blues: Top 30 Goaltenders in Franchise History
Nov 19, 2015; St. Louis, MO, USA; St Louis Blues goalie Jake Allen (34) blocks a shot during the third period against the Buffalo Sabres at Scottrade Center. The Blues won the game 3-2 in a shootout. Mandatory Credit: Billy Hurst-USA TODAY Sports
17. Jake Allen
2013-present; 72 games, 42-17-6 record, .914 save percentage, 2.30 GAA, eight shutouts; 7 postseason games, 2-4 record (as of Dec. 6, 2015); Member of NHL All-Rookie Team in 2012-13 and 2014-15
Jake Allen hasn’t spent a whole lot of time in net yet for the St Louis Blues, but considering the performance he’s delivered so far in his Blues career, he looks like a guy that could be among the top five of this list before it’s all said and done.
Allen’s had a rather odd career path, as he first came up during the lockout-shortened 2013 season and performed well, going 9-4 with a .905 shooting percentage, a 2.46 GAA, and a shutout. Also, Allen made a juggling stick save on February 15 against the Calgary Flames that many considered the save of that season.
With Brian Elliott and Jaroslav Halak still under contract, though, the Blues didn’t have long-term space on their NHL roster for Allen, so he was returned to the AHL for the entire 2013-14 season.
After that layoff, he took his second stab at being a rookie in the NHL during 2014-15. Though he endured a short slump, he was very effective for the most part and earned the starting job near the end of the season, becoming the Blues’ playoff starter for their series against the Minnesota Wild and performing very well through the first four games before struggling in the last two.
In an interesting twist, Allen received Calder Trophy votes in two separate seasons, two years removed from each other.
He’s emerged as a force in net during the early part of the 2015-16 season, getting off to a 10-4-1 start with three shutouts, which ties him for the league lead. His 1.98 GAA ranks him third in the league, with his .932 save percentage placing him sixth overall.
We’ll see if he can avoid the midseason slump that plagued him last year, but for now Allen looks like he’ll be a major strength in goal for a long while.
Next: 16. Ernie Wakely