Blues traveling without Allen, affirm he's their long-term plan in goal

The St. Louis Blues are providing Jake Allen some time off.

The 26-year-old netminder is enduring a horrible stretch of play in which he's been pulled in three consecutive contests, and as a result, the Blues will travel to Winnipeg for Saturday's contest without Allen, general manager Doug Armstrong announced.

Allen's slump has subsequently dropped his numbers significantly. He currently owns a 2.85 goals-against average and a .897 save percentage.

That said, Blues brass believe a rest period will benefit Allen, as they believe his struggles between the pipes are mental.

"There's a lot in his head," head coach Ken Hitchcock said following Thursday's 7-3 loss to Washington. "He's kind of locked up mentally and he's going to have to fight through this."

However, this isn't a sign of distrust, as Allen remains the plan in goal for the future.

Allen signed a six-year, $17.4-million extension with St. Louis over the summer.