Allen stepping up when Blues need him most

ST. LOUIS - Blue Jackets defenseman Markus Nutivaara had a wide open net and a chance to help his team tie the game in the first period on Saturday, but in a split second, Jake Allen took it all away with an incredible glove save through traffic.
Minutes later, Columbus' leading scorer - Artemi Panarin - got behind the Blues' defense for a clear-cut breakaway, but Allen was there to stop him, too.
Those two examples of key saves at key moments provided a small snapshot of how things have been going for Allen lately.

"He was outstanding," Blues Head Coach Mike Yeo said after a 2-1 victory over the Blue Jackets, who had their 10-game win streak snapped. Columbus had averaged 4.2 goals per game during their winning streak but were limited to just one goal on 34 shots on Saturday. "The way that (Columbus) came out, a ton of confidence and they were flying. The number of chances and the quality of chances that he made big saves on in that first period, I thought he was outstanding."
"'Snakey' was the difference for us, pretty plain and simple," added Blues forward Alexander Steen. "The last little while, he's been making those (saves) two, three times a game. They don't surprise me. He's that good."

With Saturday's win, Allen won his fifth straight game and improved to 7-1 in his last eight starts. His recent surge has helped the Blues move from four points out of a playoff spot to the second Wild Card position in the West with seven games to go.
Since March 8 - when the Blues have needed him most to keep their playoff hopes alive as Carter Hutton dealt with a neck injury - Allen is 7-2-0 and has posted the best goals-against average in the League (2.00) of any goalie with at least five starts this month. His save-percentage (.927) is tied for ninth overall.
If those stats surprise you, they shouldn't. Not at all.
Because we've seen him do this before.

With the Blues struggling midway through last season and needing to make up ground, Allen emerged as one of the League's best goalies down the stretch. In his final 15 games, he went 11-2-2 with a 1.74 goals-against average, a .942 save-percentage and two shutouts. He remained hot in the playoffs, too, helping the Blues to a convincing first-round victory over the higher-seeded Minnesota Wild in just five games.
"Every game he gets in there, he seems to get more and more comfortable, more and more confident," Yeo said recently. "He just looks really strong in the net. He's doing more with less. He seems to be in a good position all the time, good position for the first shot, doesn't have to overreact to the next one if there is one... he's always athletic, always makes a great first save. What I find right now is he's very in control."
"Points are crucial right now," Allen said. "I'm just taking one step at a time. We'll figure out the standings in the end."