"Going with a red-hot backup can make you feel savvy, but it always comes with the risk that he'll be usurped by the No. 1. When you consider the typically large gulf between a team's should-be starter and his relatively cheap No. 2, it's almost tough to blame NHL teams for doing their best to force the top guy back into the mix at the first sign of weakness from his counterpart.

In the case of the St. Louis Blues goalie rotation, there's not much of a weakness to be found.

On one end, you have Brian Elliott, a netminder whose story is one of the more stunning ones of the 2011-12 season. Elliott's stock was so low last summer that he accepted a one-year, two-way contract with the Blues. That deal has to be one of – if not the – steals of 2011 free agency as he'll make one of the most unlikely All-Star game appearances you'll ever see. It's great to see Elliott receive a contract extension because he absolutely deserves it.

The problem for Elliott owners is that Jaroslav Halak has really turned his season around since Ken Hitchcock took over for Scott Arniel. He's been especially hot lately, with this array of accomplishments:

Two shutouts in a row

Three shutouts in his last four games

No regulation losses since Nov. 22, with a 10-0-3 record in that time.

With a typical break between games, it's hard to imagine Hitchcock opting to go with Elliott instead of Halak tomorrow. He's been going with the higher paid goalie quite a bit lately, in general, as Halak received six of the last eight starts.

It's highly unlikely that Halak is available in your league right now, but you should absolutely check, because he won't be around very long. The Blues netminder currently ranks as one of the better steals in fantasy – especially if you managed to scoop up Elliott at some point too."