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. The win marked his third career shutout.
Hofer earned the start after relieving Jordan Binnington in a 6-1 defeat to the Washington Capitals the previous night, where he made 15 saves on 17 shots.
"Especially after last night, it tells a lot about our group, the character we have," Hofer said. "After last night it was tough but we bounced back and got a good win."
Mathieu Joseph recorded one goal and two assists, while Justin Faulk added a goal and an assist for the Blues (5-8-2). It was only their second win in the past ten games. Joseph now shares second place on the team with eight points (four goals, four assists) over 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; a lot of guys didn’t play up to their responsibilities. The players we went with tonight gave us the best opportunity to win."
Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen made 14 saves for the Sabres (5-5-4), whose seven-game point streak (3-0-4) came to an end.
"We missed some early opportunities that I think could have changed the game," Buffalo coach Lindy Ruff said.
Summary
Joel Hofer’s 28-save shutout and strong team rebound performance secured the Blues a 3-0 victory over Buffalo, halting the Sabres’ seven-game point streak.