Ken Hitchcock thought his St. Louis Blues were in trouble after the second game of the Western Conference Final when the San Jose Sharks walked out of the Scottrade Center with a 4-0 victory that evened the series.
After the Sharks pulled off a 3-0 shutout in Game 3 at the SAP Center, the Blues appear to be in desperate shape. Their offense is unable to challenge goalie Martin Jones and the San Jose defense, and the Sharks are coming up with big offensive plays at key moments.
One of the moves Hitchcock is making to breathe new life into his team is to bench goaltender Brian Elliott in favor of Jake Allen. Elliott had been on top of his game through the first two rounds in seven-game triumphs over the Chicago Blackhawks and Dallas Stars, but he gave up three goals on 14 shots in Game 3.
As a result, Allen has been tapped to start Game 4, as Hitchcock told Chris Pinkert of the StLouisBlues.com:
We've got to change the momentum. (The Sharks) have been dialed in for seven games now, and if we expect to trot out just a little bit better effort and expect to see a [different result], that would be misl ...
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Article written by Steve Silverman
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