ST. LOUIS — Where would the 2019-2020 Blues be without Jake Allen? It's a fair question.
Jordan Binnington's fairy tale start to his career was bound to come back down to earth at some point, and while he's still playing above average, the Blues have needed their backup to rise to the occasion when called upon.
That's exactly what's happened.
He was replaced last year on the road to the Stanley Cup. But now, Jake Allen is playing like one of the best goalies in the league, and boosting the Blues.
On Sunday, Allen finished off his second shutout of the season, both in Chicago against the rival Blackhawks. With 21, he's now second all-time on the Blues' shutout list behind Brian Elliott.
But Sunday's shutout was just the latest in Allen's season-long "comeback tour" of sorts. It was his third straight win and 11th overall. He's now 11-6-3 on the season, helping net the Blues 25 points in those starts.
His stats compared to the rest of the league will probably surprise you as well. Allen has statistically been one of the best goaltenders in the NHL this season.
Allen's 2.20 goals against average is third in all of hockey. His .925 save percentage is fourth.
Allen's play has become even more important as Binnington has slowly come back to looking human. Binnington is still second in the NHL in wins, but his other stats aren't quite as dominant as we saw them at the end of last season.
Allen's resurgence has given the Blues a back up option they're confident in when they want to rest Binnington to keep him fresh or are faced with a back-to-back (of which they have 10 this season). That will only be more important as the playoffs approach, and the Blues will want their starter heading in rested and healthy.
Yes, unless something drastic happens, you can count on Allen playing second fiddle to Binnington once again this playoff season. But that shouldn't diminish Allen's importance to this year's team.
Many fans had been clamoring for the Blues to move Allen and his considerable contract elsewhere in the offseason or at the deadline. But the Blues and Allen have proven just how important having a dependable back up can be.
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