Hofer Makes 28 Saves, Blues Shut Out Sabres
Joel Hofer recorded 28 saves to lead the St. Louis Blues to a 3-0 victory over the Buffalo Sabres at KeyBank Center on Thursday. Hofer earned his third career shutout, starting after stopping 15 of 17 shots in relief of Jordan Binnington during Wednesday's 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), who have won two of their last three games. Forward Jordan Kyrou was scratched; he had been 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 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.”
On the Buffalo side, Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen made 14 saves. The Sabres (5-5-4) had their seven-game point streak come to an end (3-0-4).
Summary: Joel Hofer's strong goaltending and a solid performance from key players helped the Blues overcome a tough previous loss and shut out the Sabres, ending Buffalo's seven-game point streak.
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