Hofer Makes 28 Saves, Blues Shut Out Sabres
Joel Hofer stopped 28 shots to lead 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 returned as starter after coming in relief during a 6-1 loss to the Washington Capitals the previous night, where he stopped 15 of 17 shots.
“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, now holding a 5-8-2 record, have won two of their last three games.
St. Louis coach Jim Montgomery decided to scratch forward Jordan Kyrou, who was 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.” — Jim Montgomery
For Buffalo, goaltender Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen made 14 saves. The Sabres’ seven-game point streak ended with this loss, dropping their record to 5-5-4.
Game Highlights
- Hofer earns third career shutout with 28 saves.
- Joseph records 3 points (1 goal, 2 assists).
- Faulk adds a goal and an assist.
- Kyrou scratched despite ranking second in team points.
- Sabres’ point streak snapped at seven games.
Summary: Joel Hofer’s strong goaltending and key contributions from Mathieu Joseph and Justin Faulk led the Blues to a decisive 3-0 win, ending the Sabres’ seven-game point streak.