Allen faced 23 shots and stopped all of them Thursday to deliver a 3-0 win over Buffalo. The sad-sack Sabres predictably turned out to be an easy mark for Allen to pick up his third shutout of the year. His playing time's been spotty lately, as Allen drew only three January starts, though he played well in them, allowing just five total goals. He'll continue to take a back seat to Brian Elliott most nights.

Allen will man the net for the Blues on Thursday against the Sabres, Joe Yerdon of NHL.com reports. The Sabres might have ended their 14-game losing streak with a stunning upset of the Canadiens earlier this week, but they're still a vulnerable team most every night. That's especially true against a juggernaut like the Blues, who probably won't even need a strong outing from Allen to come away with the victory. That being said, Allen shouldn't have much difficulty suppressing the Sabres attack, which has supplied a league-worst 1.78 goals per game, a sizable drop from the 29th-ranked Hurricanes (2.12).

Allen stopped 26 of 28 in shots in regulation, before denying all three Hurricanes' shooters in the shootout in Friday's win over Carolina. A solid effort from Allen, who has won his last three games, surrendering just five goals in that span. While Brian Elliott is the Blues' starter, Allen, with his 14-5-2 record, makes for a good fantasy play whenever he gets the nod. Allen is also clutch in the skills competition, allowed just one shootout goal on 12 attempts this season. Those extra points could make or break your pool, so feel confident whenever Allen gets the call for the Blues.

Allen will be in the crease Friday against the Hurricanes, Jeremy Rutherford of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports. The Blues will enter the second half with three games in a four-day stretch, so Allen will draw in for No. 1 goalie Brian Elliott for one of the contests. Fortunately for the young netminder, Friday's start against the Hurricanes, who rank third-worst in the league with 37 points on the season, is about as ideal of a matchup as it gets. Allen hasn't been nearly as sharp for the last two months as he was earlier in the season, but he's still an outstanding play against weaker opponents, given the tremendous all-around play of his mates.

The Oilers put just 15 shots on goal against Allen in Tuesday's game, and he turned away 13 of them in a 4-2 victory. Not a very shiny save percentage for Allen in this one, but it was still good for his 13th win this season. The lowly Oilers don't offer much of a challenge, so it's not terribly surprising that Allen and the red-hot Blues -- winners of five straight -- were able to triumph. Brian Elliott will retake duties in net Thursday against the Wings.

Allen will start Tuesday's game against the Oilers. With the Blues on a four-game winning streak, Allen will draw a favorable matchup against the last-place Oilers on Tuesday, while Brian Elliott will start Thursday's game against Detroit.

Allen appeared in relief Saturday. He stopped 19 of 20 shots through overtime and then all three Carolina attempts in the shootout. Allen had spent five of six games since Dec. 27 in street clothes while Elliott and Martin Brodeur manned the net. But the kid is talented and looked great Saturday. He could soon start stealing time in the blue paint. Be ready.

Allen's teammate, Brian Elliott (knee), was activated from injured reserve Tuesday morning. Allen owns an 11-5-2 record for the season, but he also has an .899 save percentage and 2.76 GAA. The Blues will likely give Elliott a decent chunk of the playing time, though it's still unclear exactly how things will be divided. St. Louis is currently carrying three goaltenders, with Martin Broder -- who notched a shutout Monday night -- also on the roster.

Allen gave up four goals on 24 shots in Saturday's loss to Dallas. Not the best night for Allen, who has now lost three straight games, giving up a whopping 12 goals in that span. While he remains a top fantasy option with an 11-5-2 record, his .899 save percentage and 2.76 GAA is a tad alarming. While he will likely remain the starter with Brian Elliot (knee) out, expect Allen to lose a significant amount of starts once Elliot returns -- especially if the 24-year-old continues to struggle.

Allen will start in net Saturday against the Stars, NHL.com's Lou Korac reports. Allen struggled in his last outing, allowing five goals on 31 shots before getting pulled during the game's second intermission. Allen has been inconsistent recently, winning three straight before giving up a total of eight goals in back to back losses. The 24 year old goaltender will look to bounce back on Saturday against the Stars.