There’s a reason that the Blues are starting a backup against one of the league’s best goalies – much like the situation they had with Manny Legace and Chris Mason in 2009, the backup gives the team the best chance to win. Brian Elliott is the proud owner of a nine game win streak back in his first year in the league with the Ottawa Senators.
Sayth Blues coach Davis Payne on the decision:
“You want to get into my mind and talk about no-brainers?” he said, gathering a laugh from the media at the Saddledome this morning. “No, it’s just a decision based on performance and how the team is playing and what we feel he can give us tonight.”
Makes perfect sense – you do what you need to do to win, not to fluff up a starter’s ego with a pity start. Will Halak get rusty, though, taking so much time between starts? If a backup’s supposed to be ready at a moments’ notice, then that should apply to the starter if he’s in a backup’s situation. It’s not like Halak gives the Blues an advantage right now, and the team needs to win.