Goaltending - you can't go far in the playoffs without it, and to say Jake Allen has rebounded from a midseason swoon would be an understatement.

The St. Louis Blues netminder endured a roller coaster campaign, with the low point coming in January, where Allen was pulled in three consecutive contests and subsequently given a brief leave of absence from the club to clear his head.

However, since head coach Mike Yeo replaced Ken Hitchcock and Martin Brodeur took over as the Blues' goalie coach, Allen's transformed into a confident, No. 1 option in goal.

Two games into the postseason, Allen has stood on his head, allowing two goals in two road wins over Minnesota, including a 51-save effort in Game 1.

Allen's managed to parlay a magnificent final month of the regular season into the playoffs. In his final 10 starts, Allen went 7-2-1, and from March 1 onward, the 26-year-old was tied for second among all goalies in wins (10), save percentage (.942), and goals-against average (1.72).

It's fair to infer the Blues' team success goes as far as that of their goaltending, and two games into the postseason, so far so good.

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