Former St. Louis Blues goaltender Colten Ellis turned away 27 of the 29 shots he faced as he and the Buffalo Sabres secured a win in his NHL debut.
Former St. Louis Blues goaltender Colten Ellis secured a win in his NHL debut as the Buffalo Sabres took down the Detroit Red Wings 4-2.
The Blues' third-round pick (93rd overall) in 2019 never had his chance to play with the Blues in the NHL, but he was outstanding for their AHL team, the Springfield Thunderbirds. Last season, Ellis posted a .922 save percentage and a 2.63 goals against average in 42 appearances.
The plan this season was to send Ellis back down to the AHL and have him serve as the starter once again. He was also going to serve as the third goaltender in the NHL. Ellis was one of the final roster cuts by the Blues, and when he was placed on waivers, he was among the many goaltenders to be claimed.
The Sabres, who are currently dealing with an injury to Ukko-Pekka Luukonen, needed another goaltender. When Ellis became available, the Sabres snatched him up, and since then, he's served as their backup netminder.
Alex Lyon started the Sabres' first six games of the season, posting an outstanding .924 SP and a 2.54 GAA. On Wednesday against the Red Wings, the 25-year-old Ellis finally got his shot to start an NHL game.
The Red Wings entered the game on a five-game win streak, but that didn't matter. Ellis turned away 27 of the 29 shots he faced, including multiple breakaways.
“As time goes on, I’d like to kind of calm my game a little bit, but still have that competitive edge and battle in me, but let the play come to me a little more,” Ellis said following the game. “All in all, I think the game put me in situations tonight where I had to battle more, so it was a lot of fun.”
The Blues were sad to see Ellis go, but the organization was thrilled that he would be heading to a team that would give him a chance in the NHL. He's proven at multiple levels that he is ready for an NHL role, and last night's display was further evidence.
Blues Were Hoping To Keep Colten Ellis In Organization, Happy He Gets Opportunity In NHL
MARYLAND HEIGHTS, Mo. -- Part of Doug Armstrong wanted to be selfish and keep goalie prospect Colten Ellis in the <a href="http://thn.com/stlouis">St. Louis Blues</a> organization.