Hofer Makes 28 Saves, Blues Shut Out Sabres
Joel Hofer recorded 28 saves, leading the St. Louis Blues to a 3-0 victory over the Buffalo Sabres at KeyBank Center on Thursday. This marked Hofer’s third career shutout. He started the game after stopping 15 of 17 shots in relief of Jordan Binnington during 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,” 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, who improved to 5-8-2. This was only their second win in the past 10 games. Joseph is 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,” 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.”
Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen made 14 saves for the Sabres, whose seven-game point streak came to an end with this loss, dropping their record to 5-5-4.
“We missed some early opportunities that I think could have changed the game,” Buffalo coach Lindy Ruff said.
Game Summary
- St. Louis Blues won 3-0 against Buffalo Sabres
- Joel Hofer: 28 saves, third career shutout
- Mathieu Joseph: 1 goal, 2 assists
- Justin Faulk: 1 goal, 1 assist
- Buffalo’s seven-game point streak ended
Author’s summary: Joel Hofer’s standout goaltending helped the Blues snap a nine-game slump, while Buffalo’s point streak was halted due to missed scoring chances.