Let's Go Blues

Blues say Elliott is day-to-day with upper-body injury
http://www.stltoday.com/sports/hockey/p ... f6878.html

Blues goaltender Brian Elliott missed the second half of practice today and afterward the club said he's nursing an upper-body injury.
The Blues held two short practices today at the IceZone in Hazelwood and Elliott went through the first session. He had a brief talk with goalie coach Corey Hirsch as the team was leaving the ice and then didn't return for the second session.
Blues coach Ken Hitchcock said that Elliott, who was not available for comment today, suffered the injury in a recent appearance when he was knocked into the net.
"We didn't want to aggravate it," Hitchcock said. "We've been nursing it for a week or so. He got a lot of work in the first 45 minutes ... It's more maintenance. It's not a big deal. We knew how long this day was going to be and we just felt like, 'Man, why cool a guy down?'"
The Blues are downplaying the injury, but they have recalled Jake Allen from Peoria, who will be in attendance at Wednesday's practice. Before the announcement that Allen was on his way to St. Louis, Hitchcock indicated a third goalie might be needed to continue at the practice tempo the Blues want to keep and that it might not possible with Elliott's situation.
The injury, albeit a day-to-day issue according to the team, seems to make it obvious that Jaroslav Halak will be in net when the Blues host the San Jose Sharks in Game 1 of their first-round series Thursday at Scottrade Center. But Hitchcock said that if Elliott were to be named the No. 1, the injury wouldn't prevent him from playing.

"He's fine to play, so that's not an issue," Hitchcock said. "He's nursing something that's going to take a day or two to be 100 percent. But now, if the game started tomorrow and I decided on him, he's a player."

After saying that he'd make an announcement on the starting goalie Thursday, Hitchcock said he'll now announce it Wednesday.

"I'm going to move it up a day so you guys can write about something," he said. "I'm going to give you a little treat."

gaijin wrote:"If we wanted him to play, he would play. So therefore we called up Jake Allen."

Calling up Allen at all means you are more comfortable putting Allen in a playoff game than Elliott. This "he's capable of playing" line just doesn't jive.

cprice12 wrote:

gaijin wrote:"If we wanted him to play, he would play. So therefore we called up Jake Allen."

Calling up Allen at all means you are more comfortable putting Allen in a playoff game than Elliott. This "he's capable of playing" line just doesn't jive.

I don't take it that way at all.
They're saying it's a callup for practices and they want to rest Elliott's injury.

I think this makes it somewhat of an easy call in net now.
I would guess Halak gets the nod and Elliott starts the series on the bench.

cprice12 wrote:

gaijin wrote:"If we wanted him to play, he would play. So therefore we called up Jake Allen."

Calling up Allen at all means you are more comfortable putting Allen in a playoff game than Elliott. This "he's capable of playing" line just doesn't jive.

I don't take it that way at all.
They're saying it's a callup for practices and they want to rest Elliott's injury.

gaijin wrote:

cprice12 wrote:

gaijin wrote:"If we wanted him to play, he would play. So therefore we called up Jake Allen."

Calling up Allen at all means you are more comfortable putting Allen in a playoff game than Elliott. This "he's capable of playing" line just doesn't jive.

I don't take it that way at all.
They're saying it's a callup for practices and they want to rest Elliott's injury.

I think this makes it somewhat of an easy call in net now.
I would guess Halak gets the nod and Elliott starts the series on the bench.

I see that point of view, but it seems like calling up your AHL goalie 2 days before your first playoff game is pretty serious. If you have no intent of using him in actual games, you have to send him back down before Thursday, or else he has to be included on the postseason roster.

Then again, Hitch does what Hitch does, and if this season has taught me anything, it's to trust Hitch.

cprice12 wrote: Playoff rosters are unlimited...so it's not like he'd be taking up someone else's spot.

gaijin wrote:"If we wanted him to play, he would play. So therefore we called up Jake Allen."

Calling up Allen at all means you are more comfortable putting Allen in a playoff game than Elliott. This "he's capable of playing" line just doesn't jive.