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Goalie nods: Reeling Blues turn to Hutton

St Louis Blues v Anaheim Ducks

ANAHEIM, CA - JANUARY 15: Carter Hutton #40 of the St. Louis Blues has some water during a stop in play against the Anaheim Ducks during the first period at Honda Center on January 15, 2017 in Anaheim, California. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)

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Carter Hutton will make his first start under new head coach Mike Yeo when the Blues take on the Flyers tonight at Wells Fargo.

It’s a start worth paying attention to.

As has been well-documented, Jake Allen’s had a tremendously difficult year. One of former head coach Ken Hitchcock’s final moves as Blues coach was to park Allen in late January, while rolling with Hutton and AHL recall Pheonix Copley.

Hutton had three straight starts from Jan. 14-17, scoring a pair of wins over the Sharks and Ducks. The third, a 6-4 loss to Ottawa, opened the door for Allen’s return, which was disastrous -- a 7-3 loss to the Caps in which Allen was hooked after allowing four goals on 10 shots.

Then came Allen’s “mental reset,” and more starts for Hutton. He did play well in one of them, stopping all 34 shots faced for a 3-0 shutout win in Pittsburgh.

Looking ahead, it’ll be interesting to see how much Yeo uses Hutton in the coming weeks. Tonight kicks off a five-game road trip for the Blues, one that will continue through Ottawa, Toronto, Montreal and Detroit.

For the Flyers, Michal Neuvirth gets the start.

Elsewhere...

-- Cory Schneider, coming off a 32-save win over the Blue Jackets on Saturday, is back in goal for the Devils as they host the Sabres. No word on a Sabres starter yet, as they kick off a week in which they’ll play five games.

-- Thomas Greiss, who’s been a big part in the Isles’ turnaround following the dismissal of Jack Capuano, gets the call as the Leafs come to Brooklyn. Frederik Andersen is expected in net for Toronto, as per usual.