Jake Allen will be between the pipes when the Blues take on the Wild in Game 1 Thursday. (USATSI)
Jake Allen will be between the pipes when the Blues take on the Wild in Game 1 Thursday. (USATSI)

The St. Louis Blues had a tough decision heading into their first-round matchup against the Minnesota Wild when it came to the starting goaltender. They could go with the team’s primary starter for most of the season in Brian Elliott, or stick with Jake Allen, who has been exceptional over the last several weeks. According to Allen, he’s getting the nod for Game 1 Thursday night.

Ken Hitchock confirmed that Allen will go in Game 1 and that it's "his turn" in his remarks Wednesday.

Allen appeared in 37 games this season for the Blues and posted a 22-7-4 record. He also put up a .913 save percentage and 2.28 goals-against average with four shutouts. Those are fair numbers, but the 24-year-old has been particularly strong in the latter stages of the season.

Over nine appearances in March and April, Allen went 5-1-2 with a .938 save percentage. The Blues won several key games with him between the pipes as Allen allowed just one goal in each of his last four starts of the season.

This appeared to be the season where Elliott would finally take the reins as the undisputed No. 1 for the Blues after sharing the net so often, but all of the sudden he’s lost his job again. Elliott made 46 appearances for the Blues, the most he’s made with the club since joining the organization in 2011-12. He had a .917 save percentage and 2.26 goals-against average, while posting a 26-14-3 record.

Elliott was also in net for the Blues’ regular-season finale, which was a 4-2 win over the very Wild team the Blues will be meeting in the first round.

This is a gamble from Ken Hitchcock to go with the hot hand over his veteran starter. If Allen falters, Hitchcock has already established Elliott as the No. 2 guy once again. It’s difficult to know what that does to Elliott’s confidence, especially after having been viewed as the No. 1 guy for much of the season.

Allen made an extremely brief appearance during the 2012 Stanley Cup Playoffs, playing 1:07 in a second-round game against the Kings. He saw zero shots in that brief stint, which represents his only NHL postseason experience. Elliott has 18 playoff appearances under his belt, though his numbers are less than inspiring with a 6-10 record, .898 save percentage and 2.55 goals-against average. Maybe his longer history went against him in this instance.

Goaltending hasn't been the best in the playoffs for the Blues over recent years and now it’s difficult to say if they have a true No. 1 on the team. It will be interesting to see if Hitchcock plans utilizing both goaltenders in the series. Both netminders appear to be capable of doing the job, but Hitchcock has to hope that his Game 1 pick is the right one.