In a move that should surprise no one but that might anger a few in the "Elliott is better!" crowd, Jaroslav Halak's been named the Blues' starter for the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Elliott's suffering from a very minor upper body injury that hampered him in practice the other day, but coach Ken Hitchcock said that he's still good to play. That being said, Halak has playoff experience, and pretty deep experience at that. He led the Montreal Canadiens to a surprising Eastern Conference Finals series in 2009, which was shortly before he was acquired by the St. Louis Blues.
Halak's cool, calm, and collected demeanor should help the fairly inexperienced Blues team center itself, but if he were to falter, the Blues have a benefit that no other team has: a spare starter. The Sharks should be concerned that either goaltender is starting, since Elliott has a 1.00 GA against them in two starts this season and Halak has a miniscule .50 GAA.
For full St. Louis Blues coverage, check in with SB Nation St. Louis and St. Louis Game Time. For full San Jose Sharks coverage, check in with SB Nation Bay Area, Fear The Fin and Battle of California.