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Hitch had some kind words for his goalies

Brian Elliott

St. Louis Blues goalie Brian Elliott (1) makes a stick-save in the first period of an NHL hockey game against the New York Rangers, Thursday, Oct. 9, 2014, in St. Louis. (AP Photo/Tom Gannam)

AP

With 15 first-period saves on 16 shots against, Brian Elliott kept the St. Louis Blues alive in their season opener against the New York Rangers.

Sure, St. Louis would end up losing, 3-2, after the Rangers scored in the waning moments, thanks in large part to a funny bounce off the glass...

...but the 29-year-old goalie wasn’t to blame for the loss.

The Blues’ next game is tomorrow at home to Calgary. Whether Elliott gets another start, or backup Jake Allen gets the nod, we’ll have to wait and see. Regardless, coach Ken Hitchcock sure sounds happy with his netminding tandem, despite the doubts that have been raised.

“I don’t think I’ve ever coached two guys with less ego than these guys,” Hitchcock said, per the Post-Dispatch. “These guys have no ego. They just come to work and come to play and they’re receptive to information. They want to get better every day. This is about as low maintenance a tandem I’ve coached in my life, which is really nice for coaches. They’re willing to look in the mirror, willing to study, willing to get better. They’re two guys that are a lot of fun to work with, to be honest with you.”

Related: After Miller (and many others) failed, Blues turn to Elliott and Allen