Brian Elliot Continues to Roll in Return to Ottawa

When the St. Louis Blues entered training camp this season, they knew they had a No. 1 goalie in Jaroslav Halak, but were unsure the status of their backup goalie position.

The two goalies involved in that competition were Brian Elliot and Ben Bishop, both pushing each other for the secondary position with the Blues to start the season. 

Jump to February and Elliot was the sole representetive for the Blues at the NHL All-Star game. And, thus far this season, is 16-5-2 with a goals against average of merely 1.66 and a save percentage of almost 94 percent.

On Tuesday night, Elliot did just what he has been doing since the beginning of the season: stay calm, consistent and reliable in net for the Blues. 

In his first official game back in Ottawa—he was traded from the Senators to the Avalanche before signing with the Blues—Elliot helped the Blues to a 3-1 win and pushed Ottawa's losing streak to seven games. Elliot gave up just one goal on 29 shots to help the Blues improve to  31-14-7 this season and just three points back of Detroit for the top spot in the Central Division with two games in hand.

It's safe to say Elliot has gone above and beyond the call of duty since starting the season as a backup for the Blues. The word "backup" doesn't really do justice to Elliot who is playing just as well, if not better, than Blues starter Jaroslav Halak, which is great considering Halak is having a stellar season as well.

The only individual not benfiting from Elliot's superb play is Blues up-and-coming goaltender Ben Bishop, who is currently playing in the NHL with the Peoria Rivermen. Bishop may find himself on the trading block after Elliot signed a two-year extension in January to stay with the Blues. 

This is the first time in a few seasons the Blues have had a goalie tandem that sits in the top rankings of the NHL in goals against and save percentage. You'd have to look at the pre-lockout seasons as the last time the Blues had a successful goalie duo that has performed as strong as Elliot and Halak have. 

Coach Ken Hitchcock will continually say Halak is the Blues' No. 1 goalie—and he should be—but it doesn't hurt that Elliot is making a strong case for that role. A little competition can only push the two to perform at even higher levels, especially heading in to the playoffs.

The Blues are 2-1-0 since the all-star break and 6-2-2 in their last 10 games. They remain atop NHL standings and are battling Detroit and Nashville for the top spot in the Western Conference in hopes of earning home ice advantage throughout the playoffs.

Much of their success sits on the solid play of Elliot and Halak and will be necessary to continue in to the post season.

Who do you think should be the No. 1 goalie if they make it into the Stanley Cup Playoffs? Jaroslav Halak or Brian Elliot? Let us know your thoughts by leaving a comment!