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Blues' Allen to start Game 4

Dilip Vishwanat / National Hockey League / Getty

In desperate need of a spark, the St. Louis Blues are turning to Jake Allen in Game 4 versus the San Jose Sharks, head coach Ken Hitchcock announced Friday.

The decision comes in the wake of two consecutive losses, in which St. Louis was outscored 7-0.

Surely the Blues' struggles can't be pinned on Brian Elliott, as their offensive unit has gone missing through three games, but Hitchcock is hoping his team can build momentum off of the switch.

In 17 starts this postseason, Elliott has posted a 9-8 record with a 2.34 goals against average, and a strong .925 save percentage. Allen's made two appearances in relief, but has only faced nine shots.

However, Allen started 44 regular season games to Elliott's 38, and compiled a record of 26-15-3, stopping pucks at a 92 percent clip with a goals against average of 2.35.

Allen has started six postseason games in his career, going 2-4.

Now that the decision has been made, it's up to the team in front of Allen to even the series Saturday night. Scoring a goal might help.

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