Elliott again back in Ottawa; this time it's business

When Brian Elliott returned to the place where it all began for him in the National Hockey League during All-Star weekend, he was received with open arms.

The reception Elliott got from the fans at Scotiabank Place, he admitted, was palpable. But those feelings might be a bit more subdued when Elliott and the St. Louis Blues face the Ottawa Senators on Tuesday night.

When the Blues (30-14-7) and Senators (27-21-7) skate for the only time this season, it marks the first time Elliott returns as a visiting player since being dealt last season to the Colorado Avalanche.

Elliott, who was the lone representative for the Blues at the All-Star Game, will get the start against his former team. There would be added intrigue if Craig Anderson was at the other end in goal, since he was the player the Senators acquired from Colorado in the trade for Elliott on Feb. 18, 2011.

"It's always a little weird going back somewhere where you played before," said Elliott, who is 15-5-2 on the season with an NHL-leading 1.69 goals-against average and second in save percentage at .938. "You go into the visiting dressing room for the first time. You try not to put any emphasis on it. You try to play the same way that you would any other game."