Hofer’s 28 Saves Lead Blues to Shutout Victory Over Sabres
Joel Hofer stopped 28 shots as the St. Louis Blues beat the Buffalo Sabres 3-0 at KeyBank Center on Thursday. This marked Hofer’s third career shutout. He started after coming off the bench Wednesday to stop 15 of 17 shots in a 6-1 loss to the Washington Capitals.
“Especially after last night, it tells a lot about our group, the character we have,” Hofer said. “After last night it was tough but bounced back and got a good win.”
Mathieu Joseph contributed a goal and two assists, while Justin Faulk added a goal and an assist for the Blues (5-8-2). This was only their second win in 10 games. Joseph now has eight points (four goals, four assists) in 14 games, tied for second on the team.
“There were several people we weren’t happy with the effort last night,” Blues coach Jim Montgomery said. “It didn’t matter the role; there was 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.”
Sabres’ Seven-Game Point Streak Ends
Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen made 14 saves for Buffalo (5-5-4), whose seven-game point streak came to an end with a record of 3-0-4 during that run.
“We missed some early opportunities that I think could have changed the game,” Buffalo coach Lindy Ruff said.
Additional Notes
- St. Louis scratched Kyrou for the game.
- The Blues rallied well after their disappointing loss the previous night.
Author’s summary: Joel Hofer’s strong goaltending and key contributions from Joseph and Faulk powered the Blues to a 3-0 shutout, snapping Buffalo’s seven-game point streak and highlighting St. Louis’s resilience.