Allen and Hutton support, cheer for one another no matter who plays

Teammates on the ice, competition remains at 

work with two goalies sharing a strong friendship

By LOU KORAC
HAZELWOOD, Mo. -- Three straight wins have the Blues thinking good thoughts again, and when those good thoughts involve goalie Carter Hutton being smack dab in the middle of those victories, it's easy to utter the words that start with 'G' and 'C.'

But contrary to popular belief, there is no goalie controversy with the Blues. In fact, Hutton and Jake Allen couldn't be any more closer than two goalie teammates can be.

As a matter of fact, each is the other's biggest fan.

(St. Louis Blues photo)

Blues goalie Carter Hutton has been in goal for all three Blues wins this past

week and leads the NHL in goals-against average and save percentage.

Hutton, who leads the NHL in goals-against average (1.64) and save percentage (.947) allowed five goals in wins over Carolina (3-2), New Jersey (3-2 in a shootout) and the red-hot Vegas Golden Knights (2-1), who came into the game on an eight-game winning streak and points in 13 straight (12-0-1).

So naturally, Blues fans are clamoring for Hutton to get more responsibilities, continue to play in light of the Blues' recent winning streak as they play back-to-back games in Philadelphia today and Washington on Sunday.

But Hutton is the Blues' backup goalie, and Allen is the starter. Nothing's changed, and Allen will get the call in one of the two games this weekend.

Some No. 1 goalies could have a chip on their shoulder when the guy backing him up earns accolades and plays well. But not here, not now.

"I'm proud of my season," Allen, who is 18-12-2 on the season with a 2.57 GAA and .913 save percentage, said. "I've had a great season so far. It's been fun, it's been a great partnership and I don't know if people are trying to make this a competition or what. I don't know what the hell they're blowing it up about. We should be thankful we have two good goalies on our hockey team and that we're winning hockey games.

"... Nothing's changed. I'm playing well. 'Hutts' has been the best goalie in the league. We should be thankful that he's on our team."

Hutton, who is 8-3-0 on the season, just gets the job done despite the limited amount of goal support the past month, much like Allen, who is just 1-6-0 his past seven games but has allowed just 18 goals in those seven games but has nine goals of support (1.29 per game).

"It's the way it is," Allen said. "I know we're still struggling to find the back of the net right now, but we're getting so many chances. We're working for our chances. It's impressive to see. We're not getting as frustrated as we were early in December when pucks weren't going in right away, we might get a little bit off our game, but even last night, you look at it, we had some great chances there throughout the start of the game, the end of the game. It's inches ... literally. It was nice to see that goal like 'Stas' [Paul Stastny] gets. Maybe a couple weeks ago, he would have smacked that off the post and it wouldn't have gone in. We needed something like that. We know one of these games, at some point for the next 30-some games through the year, we're going to get a bunch of goals. They're coming, it's close, we can feel it. I think everyone in our room can feel it. Even on the bench, it's right there. For me, even it's close."

In the meantime, Allen, who went a stretch of getting seven straight starts from Dec. 2-14 while Hutton had a foot injury that sidelined him a week, got the chance to get refreshed while his friend was performing admirably.

"You get a little bit of rest," Allen said. "Maybe I get a little bit of rest, but you know what, that's it. I'm used to playing all the time. Just get some more practice. I think watching is a good thing, too. Every goalie's different. I don't play the same as him, he doesn't play the same as me. We're watching little things. Even though he's a rival against us, but watching [Marc-Andre] Fleury, he's unbelievable. Just learning things like that from him. He's one of the best goalies in the league for a long time. Watching for me, I'm a visual guy, so that's what helps."

Allen and Hutton are competitors at work and on the ice, but off it, they're as close as two guys can be, even more so than Allen and Brian Elliott, who Allen's spoke admirably of, were.

"Yeah, I think we're way tighter," Allen said. "I don't know how you can explain that, more buddies than I think the goalie part. The goalie part is at the rink, but away from it, we're even better buddies than we were with 'Ells,' I'm not saying I'm not a good buddy with 'Ells,' I'm just saying this is a partnership that meshes well, it gels well. I think our team's fortunate. 

"It's just natural. I think when you try for something, it's not really a natural thing. It just sort of clicked and he's done a great job here. Every time you come to a new team, it takes a little bit of time to settle your feet, just get an understanding of the game's surroundings. He's only gotten better as he's been here. What can you say? Since the start of the year, whatever his record and his numbers are, probably since December he's been the best goalie in the league, no question.

"People can say whatever they want. I'm sure people have controversies and arguments to that, but you know what, I think we're in a good spot right now here."

Blues coach Mike Yeo appreciates the bond that Allen and Hutton share and makes it easier who he chooses to play on a particular night. But Hutton has made life difficult for the coach to turn away from him these days.

"Of course you appreciate that," Yeo said. "This is a team game and obviously we're all very well aware of what Jake has contributed for us. At the same time, I've said it before, this was about 'Hutts' deserving an opportunity and obviously he went out and did a great job. We have no reason to expect that Jake wouldn't continue to play with the same mindset and the same purpose of where he feels that he's at for our team, and that's a great quality. It's a long season and obviously in order to have success, we need everyone here contributing and when everybody's contributing, then everybody has their turn in the spotlight.

"'Hutts' has been in the backup role all season and been very understanding of that. That's not an easy position, number one, not knowing when your next game is coming but also you want to play. But supporting the other guy, taking the extra shots in practice, whatever the case is, being a very encouraging teammate, having a positive attitude, he's done a great job with those things and we've seen that same side from Jake this week."

Hutton has continued to give his game a boost, and transitioning to another new goalie coach can be taxing at times. But when Hutton signed with the Blues prior to the 2016-17 season, he worked with Jim Corsi, then Marty Brodeur and now David Alexander, a move Hutton called, "Smooth, really good. Jake had a lot of high praise for him last year when they were obviously trying to find a guy. For me, I'm not like the ... the new age goalie is very nerdish almost, kind of like that geek ... there's so many new terms. I have more been a guy that you show me what to do, I can do it kind of thing. I can learn visually better. But he's come in here honestly and he hasn't tried to re-evolve my game. He's just taken things that I'm strong at and worked at those and made them better. And then he's found areas in my game where he thought I could improve that would have a dramatic impact. And we work on it, and we pound it in every day. 

"I think just tracking and little things, too, trying to simplify the game sometimes is big. You don't have to reinvent the wheel. We're already in the NHL. We're good goalies. It's just a matter of kind of polishing things up. He's been really good. He works hard, too. He's a guy that no matter what I need or whatever, he's there. Some days to give me extra, or if I need a kick in the pants sometimes, he's there to tell me to get going and he's definitely helped me a lot. We have a good relationship, too. We're friends, too, along with that. So it's definitely been very helpful."

Allen agreed.

"It's great," he said. "I think Dave hasn't changed a whole lot for me. Since I've known him so long, I've worked with him in the summer, things like that. I sort of know his path and I think he's done wonders for 'Hutts' and his game, but he's transitioned very well. I think at the start of the year, he was feeling out the process, feeling out the team, getting used to it. It was just like a new player coming to a new team, first year in the NHL. He's so wise as a goalie coach. I think he's only 35-36 years old. He's experienced beyond his years, he understands the position. (He's) talked to me better than anyone I've ever talked to, maybe not Marty [Brodeur], but he's been great for us."

(St. Louis Blues photo)

Blues goalie Jake Allen has won just one of his past seven starts but has

lent support for teammate and friend Carter Hutton recently.

When Allen had his spell last season where things couldn't go right and the Blues actually kept him at home for a game at Winnipeg, he came back stronger than ever. This is nowhere near that time, but no matter who plays and who gets the majority of the time, Allen and Hutton will continue to be each other's rock.

"Yeah, no question," Allen said. "It's pretty impressive. He's a more vocal guy in the locker room than I am. That's just his natural being, I think, is a chatterbox, but I know he is for me and right there last night with him, I think he saved our ass at the end of the games the last couple games and really got the wins for us. He's been doing something really special.

"... I'm a goalie, too, so I get it. He's so deserving of the net. If I was playing in his shoes, I'd be deserving the net and he'd get it too. It just goes both ways. It goes to show how good the game is now. There's no backup goalies. I guess you can classify as a starting goalie because you play more games, but there's no backups like there used to be. They might play 10 games and hopefully get a couple wins out of the guy. Every goalie and every single player in the league from fourth line up to first line can play. The game now is just so well-rounded. It's just the way it is."