Jake Allen to start in Game 4

[WaukeeBlues]

NHL Network Radio and Twitter announcing Jake Allen is to start in net for Game 4.

This is just a panic move to me. Hitchcock has no idea what to do and he's reaching for the panic button. Pure and simple. Asinine move in my opinion but what do I know...

Clicky!

And if I'm Brian Elliott, how many times do I tolerate this coaching staff giving me the shortest leash in the history of hockey before I throw up the middle finger and ask to get out of here? He's been treated like garbage since he's been here and has had to work insanely hard for every table scrap he gets with this team.

The conspiracy theorist in me says that Elliott is an inconvenient presence on this team for an ownership and coaching group that want to hand this team over to Jake Allen and move on from this 1-2 tandem and Elliott keeps forcing them to play him. But again, that's just a theory.

[Toasted Oates]

You beat me to the punch. I just went to post about Ken's big "adjustment" in another thread.

Good for Jake. Biggest start of his career tomorrow (thanks again, Captain Obvious).

However, unless he can light the lamp for the top 9, this move is moot. Yeah, he's aggressive and is a smooth operator w/ the puck on his stick. Yeah, maybe he helps the defensemen transit northward. Maybe.

Whatever. Just win tomorrow.

Oh, and cheers to Brian Elliott.

[dmiles2186]

Personally, I don't believe this has anything to do with Elliott. I think it has everything to do with the team getting absolutely thumped for the better part of three games and Hitch trying to pull an emergency valve to see if he can spark anything in the team. From the standpoint that Allen is the last bullet Hitch has yet to fire in the postseason? I can understand that because you don't want to go down without exhausting all your options. Plus, if the Blues can steal a win in Game 4 AND bring back a rested (and heavily motivated) Ells in Game 5? I'd take my chances with that.

I'm not saying I like this move. But I also don't think this is Hitch's way of saying this is all Elliott's fault.

[Krigloch the Furious]

passing, forechecking, hitting, shooting
Yep, Jake Allen is what this team needs

[Portland Blues]

Personally, I don't believe this has anything to do with Elliott. I think it has everything to do with the team getting absolutely thumped for the better part of three games and Hitch trying to pull an emergency valve to see if he can spark anything in the team. From the standpoint that Allen is the last bullet Hitch has yet to fire in the postseason? I can understand that because you don't want to go down without exhausting all your options. Plus, if the Blues can steal a win in Game 4 AND bring back a rested (and heavily motivated) Ells in Game 5? I'd take my chances with that.

I'm not saying I like this move. But I also don't think this is Hitch's way of saying this is all Elliott's fault.

Agreed. We honestly don't have much else to try after the other 18 players seemingly forgot how to play the game of hockey. Ells was stealing games for us earlier and we wouldn't be here without him but he wasn't getting those miracle saves time after time the last 2 games. Maybe we could dress him as a forward?

[xbleed83bluex]

I am a huge supporter of Elliot, was glad he got the opportunity to finally start a Playoff series, thought it was completely unacceptable he was given the short end of the stick last year considering how well he's played for us, and thought his swap in the Dallas game was unnecessary. And Elliot has been the only player to show up for the Playoffs consistently.

But in this case...in THIS case...after lousy play and 2 goalless droughts, the team has to do something. We are at a last resort now. Maybe playing Allen will inspire the defense to be on their toes instead of comfortably relying on Elliot to make the save. It seems like when Allen's in there, the defense has more drive to block shots and forecheck. Allen can handle the puck better, too, which may lead to more odd man rushes by the Blues. Maybe Allen can work better with the style of game the Sharks play. If Allen can work, maybe he can finish out this series and Elliot goes back in for the Cup Final.

I really thought inserting Paajarvi was a bad move, though. I know changes are needed but he contributes nothing. Put Reeves and Jaskin in, Reeves has played great for us in the games he played. We need Reeves out there to hit these Sharks.

[Toasted Oates]

Eloquently said, dmiles. But if they win Game 4 and Allen plays well, there's no way Hitchcock will go back to Elliott. Elliott will have fire in his belly and would go balls out, no doubt. Your head coach doesn't think that way, though.

[Kerfuffle]

Do you guys think that the announcement to start Allen might just be a strategy move by Hitch and then we see Elliott actually start game 4? I'm just wondering why he would announce this and also why he would make a change. Tampa tried to do that last year in the SCF by announcing that Bishop was playing game 2 and then went to Vilevsky or however it's spelled. So I'm wondering if this is just a strategy move.

[Oaklandblue]

Early congrats to the San Jose Sharks on making it to the Finals.

[theohall]

Allen is a better puck mover than Elliott. Allen can alleviate the Sharks very aggressive forecheck by moving the puck - which Elliott does not really do at all.

I'm not saying Allen is better than Elliott, he just has one skill which Elliott does not which could help break up the Sharks aggressive attack.

Being down 2-1 and the team looking like they are being outplayed everywhere, maybe that will help. It's also going to mean the D can't force passes into the middle when they aren't there which is what directly led to 2 of the Sharks goals in Game 3. The skaters have to stay patient on the attack which is hard to do when they aren't generating any kind of forecheck, so the D is trying to force things to make things happen.

Game 1 - The Blues stayed patient and got lots of opportunities by staying patient.
Games 2 and 3 - The Sharks did what the Blues did in Game 1 and waited for the inevitable bad pass to the middle and capitalized when that happened.

If both teams play the patient game and don't force things, I could easily see a 0-0 game 4 going into OT. Depends on the skaters.

[Toasted Oates]

Do you guys think that the announcement to start Allen might just be a strategy move by Hitch and then we see Elliott actually start game 4? I'm just wondering why he would announce this and also why he would make a change. Tampa tried to do that last year in the SCF by announcing that Bishop was playing game 2 and then went to Vilevsky or however it's spelled. So I'm wondering if this is just a strategy move.

No. "Strategy" and "Hitch" don't go hand in hand unless you count him keeping his vaunted 4th line a secret till warm ups. I'm sure DeBoer was quivering w/ fear.

And Bishop started Game 2. He was playing through a groin tear and that's why Vaselevskiy even got in the game.

Different situations, unless Elliott is hurt. I guess ya never know but there's no reason to believe he's not healthy.

[englishcowboy]

Been talking about this all morning on fb sharks were expecting elliott so they thrown. Hitch has said that the 4th line looked like a 3rd line. Combined that with no morning skate this is either a smart move to get a win and gain momentum or just handed sharks a win

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[glen a richter]

Switching goalies is the hallmark of a team about to be eliminated from the playoffs.

[englishcowboy]

Switching goalies is the hallmark of a team about to be eliminated from the playoffs.

Let's hope not

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[dmiles2186]

https://twitter.com/jprutherford/status/734450417564717056

[gaijin]

https://twitter.com/jprutherford/status/734450417564717056

I wondered. But if the Blues play again like they did in Game 4, I'm all for it.

[glen a richter]

Maybe there really is a valid reason for a 2 goalie system. Allen's game is much more suited to neutralize San Jose's superior forecheck. Elliott was more suited to play against Chicago and Dallas, hopefully we get to debate which would be better against Pittsburgh or Tampa. I'd ride with Allen the rest of this series.

[theohall]

Maybe there really is a valid reason for a 2 goalie system. Allen's game is much more suited to neutralize San Jose's superior forecheck. Elliott was more suited to play against Chicago and Dallas, hopefully we get to debate which would be better against Pittsburgh or Tampa. I'd ride with Allen the rest of this series.

Yet Allen barely handled the puck at all. Once he fires it up the boards straight to a Shark at the blueline. On the other he whacks a rebound to where all of the players for both teams are, leading to the 2nd goal, instead of away from all of the traffic. Allen's puck-handling didn't impact this game at all. The Blues just forechecked better than they have all series - mostly from that 4th line - and stayed patient when moving the puck up ice, for the most part, to eliminate turnovers. Turnovers in neutral ice and inside their own zone are what have crushed the Blues offense. Eliminate those types of errors, get the puck deep, forecheck, and make the Sharks always go the full 180 to generate offense and the Blues win. Simple, right? Interestingly, if one analyzes the Sharks, they want to do the exact same thing.

[StL Dan]

Early congrats to the San Jose Sharks on making it to the Finals.

[WaukeeBlues]

I feel a bit like the Pittsburgh Penguins right now with the two goalie issue.

So what happens if Allen loses tonight? What then? And it's an elimination game for one team or the other on Wednesday so even less room for error.

If you start Allen tonight you have to let him know he's the guy for the rest of the playoffs unless disaster strikes. I don't know how you put Elliott back in after tonight if Allen starts.