The St. Louis Blues eked out a charity point in a 6-5 shootout loss to the Anaheim Ducks, but Brian Elliott didn’t have a good night. Head coach Ken Hitchcock noticed, too.
He told NHL.com’s Lou Korac that the 2012 All-Star needs to get better.
“Not playing very good. Not much I can say. He’d be the first to tell you too. He’s got to play better,” Hitchcock said. “You can’t stay in the lineup if you don’t play well. I don’t care who you are. He’s got to play better.”
Hitch reports that the 27-year-old goalie won’t get a chance to redeem himself in the Blues’ next game, either way. It will either be Jaroslav Halak, 27, if he’s ready to return from a groin injury or Jake Allen, 22, if not.
Teemu Selanne was Elliott’s biggest nuisance on Saturday night, collecting four points. The 42-year-old icon helped Anaheim generate a ridiculous run of three goals in just 1:41 of time in the second period.
St. Louis is now 0-3-1 in its last four games while the Ducks moved into first place in the Pacific Division.