ST. LOUIS — Joel Hofer would probably be the first to admit that his first start of the season, a 5-4 overtime win against the San Jose Sharks, wasn’t his best game and the goalie in all likelihood got away with one.
Hofer made 25 saves in that game but has had better outings and got a win out of a game in which his teammates overcame a three-goal third-period deficit.
On Thursday against the New York Islanders, it was a much sharper, a much cleaner game. So clean that he was spotless.
Hofer turned aside all 34 shots faced and he fueled a 1-0 overtime win against the Islanders when he sent an outlet pass to Philip Broberg off the boards up the ice starting a 3-on-1 before Broberg sauced a pass into the path of Neighbours, who redirected the puck off the near post past Islanders goalie Ilya Sorokin for the winner.
We’re going with Hofer as the player of the game for the Blues in his second NHL shutout and arguably one of his best games in the NHL.
“I felt good,” Hofer said. “I thought I stayed present throughout the game. I had a lot of fun. Those are fun games to be a part of, tight games against a good team. It’s huge to get those two points.”
Hofer swallowed up the majority of the pucks that came in his direction and when there were loose ones, he directed them away from danger. There was a little bit of luck too when the post helped out on a couple instances from Bo Horvat in the second period …
… and when Colton Parayko pulled off out of the crease late in the game …
… or when Hofer, laying on his stomach, sprawled out to stop Anthony Duclair in the third period. But all-in-all, he did what Blues goalies are accustomed to doing: keeping their team in the game.
“He was great,” Blues defenseman Ryan Suter said. “They were throwing a lot of pucks at the net from everywhere. He was all over the place and keeping her out of the net.”
Equally as impressive is Hofer’sability toplay pucks, whether it’s to dump it off to teammates to move it out of the zone or his aggressiveness to get it quickly I transition, much like the the OT goal.
“He’s always looking,” Neighbours said. “You kind of lock eyes with him and you know he’s going to send it up there. It’s just about being available for him. He’s always noticing when teams are changing and he can quick one up.
“He likes his cookies just as much as players do. He’s always looking to send some guys in on odd-man rushes.”
It’s a luxury the Blues can enjoy when playing as a rush team, and the OT winner was a perfect example.
“Good awareness by him,” Blues coach Drew Bannister said. “Good awareness to be able to use him too, the bump back to from our forwards to get back on the ice and then for him to make that play and for our guys on the ice to recognize that he can make that play and were able to get three guys on the rush.
“It makes it easier for the ‘D.’ And as a whole, the forwards, right? It’s just an extra player on the ice. We can get out and move pucks. It breaks down the other teams’ forecheck at times. … I thought he did a good job. … He just plays within himself and he does what he does best.”
