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 started the game after coming off relief duty against the Washington Capitals, where he stopped 15 of 17 shots in a 6-1 loss.
“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 a goal and two assists, while Justin Faulk added a goal and an assist. The Blues, now at 5-8-2, won for only the second time in their last 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. 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.” – Blues coach Jim Montgomery
Buffalo's goaltender Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen made 14 saves. The Sabres' seven-game point streak ended 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
Kirill Kyrou was scratched from the St. Louis lineup for this game.
Game Highlights
- Joel Hofer recorded his third career shutout with 28 saves.
- Mathieu Joseph tallied a goal and two assists.
- Justin Faulk contributed a goal and an assist.
- Buffalo's seven-game point streak ended.
- St. Louis Blues won their second game in the last ten.
Author’s summary: Hofer’s strong goaltending and key contributions from Joseph and Faulk helped the Blues snap a losing streak, while the Sabres’ seven-game point streak came to an end.