Jake Allen Is Starting Against Blackhawks

Jake Allen used to be questionable for the start tomorrow night in Chicago against the Blackhawks thanks to an injury sustained in Saturday’s preseason game. It took a little while for the Blues to release a non-nebulous statement on his condition.

Well, this seems to be a non-nebulous statement from the team: Allen will start the season opener. From the Blues’ official website:

"I didn't feel comfortable and didn't feel very good at the time, but a couple days off was nice just to get back to 100 percent and ready to go," Allen said after Tuesday's practice. "I knew in the back of my mind that I should be good to go on Wednesday. It was just doing the proper steps to be ready."

Last season, Allen went 26-15-3 with a 2.35 goals-against average, a .920 save-percentage and six shutouts in 47 games.

"He's the designated starter, so let's get playing," Blues Head Coach Ken Hitchcock said. "A lot of those guys play 50, 60, 70 games. There's no reason Jake can't take on a big load here."

That’s good to know, since Jake’s been handed the reigns completely with the trade of Brian Elliott to the Calgary Flames. Let’s see if he can make it through the season injury-free.

I hope that isn’t a jinx.