Hofer Makes 28 Saves as Blues Shut Out Sabres
Joel Hofer stopped 28 shots to lead the St. Louis Blues to a 3-0 victory against the Buffalo Sabres at KeyBank Center on Thursday. This marked Hofer's third career shutout. He started the game after coming off a relief performance in a 6-1 loss to the Washington Capitals the previous night.
“Especially after last night, it tells a lot about our group, the character we have. After last night it was tough but bounced back and got a good win.” — Joel Hofer
Mathieu Joseph contributed with a goal and two assists, while Justin Faulk added a goal and an assist. The Blues improved to a 5-8-2 record, winning two of their last three games.
Forward Jordan Kyrou was scratched for St. Louis despite being tied for second on the team with eight points (four goals, four assists) in 14 games.
“There were several people we weren’t happy with the effort last night. It didn’t matter the role, there were a lot of guys that didn’t play up to their role or responsibilities on the team. And the players we ended up going with we thought gave us the best opportunity to win tonight.” — Blues coach Jim Montgomery
Buffalo’s goalie Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen made 14 saves in the loss, which ended the Sabres’ seven-game point streak (3-0-4).
Game Summary
- Final score: St. Louis Blues 3, Buffalo Sabres 0
- Hofer earned his third career shutout
- Joseph scored one goal and had two assists
- Faulk scored a goal and provided one assist
- Kyrou scratched despite strong season point total
- Sabres’ seven-game point streak ended
Author summary: Joel Hofer’s stellar 28-save shutout anchored the Blues’ 3-0 win, snapping Buffalo’s seven-game point streak while key players made impactful contributions.