Sometimes, a few inches of steel can save a shutout with a fortunate ping off the goalpost.
But during the Blues’ 3-0 win over the Jets on Sunday night, a few inches of steel ruined what would have been Joel Hofer’s first career NHL shutout.
In the second period of Hofer’s 33-save effort on Sunday, the blade on his skate fell out, forcing him out of the game temporarily and meaning the win over Winnipeg will go down as a combined shutout (with Thomas Greiss) instead of a milestone moment.
“It’s all right,” Hofer said. “I don’t really care about that. I’m just obviously happy to be here and to get the win in front of the home crowd, it was great.”
Hofer exited the game for 2:36 on Sunday, leaving Greiss to make one save, and Hofer said he didn’t even know what happened to make it fall out, or what the Blues equipment staff did to replace it once he disappeared into the Blues dressing room.
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“That’s never happened, no,” Hofer said. “I thought it was like a lace that broke to start off with. Obviously saw the blade on the ice, so I didn’t really know what to do.”
Shutout or not, Hofer’s performance earned him more time in the NHL.
Hofer was recalled on Thursday when Jordan Binnington was suspended two games for punching Minnesota’s Ryan Hartman with his blocker. He was brought up from AHL affiliate Springfield (Mass.) on an emergency basis to fill the void, and made 32 saves in a win over Washington on Friday night.
St. Louis Blues forward Nathan Walker (26) scores a goal against the Winnipeg Jets during a game on Sunday, March 19, 2023, at Enterprise Center in St. Louis. Photo by Michael Clubb, [email protected]
Michael Clubb, Post-DispatchWith Binnington’s suspension now over, and with him eligible to play Tuesday against Detroit, conventional wisdom was that Hofer would return to the AHL and help the Thunderbirds during their playoff push.
“He’s not going down, but it’s great to see him play well,” Blues coach Craig Berube said. “It’s great to see him get a shutout tonight. Good job by the team in front of him. Like I said, I thought they did a great job defending tonight.”
After the trade deadline, there is no limit for how many players a team can carry on its roster as long as it still fits under the salary cap. Teams also only have four non-emergency recalls to use, and the Blues used two already on Nikita Alexandrov and Tyler Tucker (the Blues sent them down and brought them back up on deadline day in a paper transaction that made them eligible to play in the AHL playoffs).
It appears they will use a third on Hofer, who was initially allowed to be recalled on an emergency basis because the Blues only had one goalie on the roster that was eligible to play in games.
“I’m obviously super grateful for the opportunity that they’ve given me,” Hofer said. “Obviously I’m just happy to be here and get to see the guys again. For me to come here and get two wins is really good.”
On Sunday night, the Blues didn’t ask Hofer to be heroic, outside of a four-minute Jets power play in the first period. For the most part, they kept Winnipeg to the perimeter even if the Jets attempted 66 shots and got 34 on net.
“He’s not panicking,” Blues defenseman Justin Faulk said. “He’s getting out, he’s playing the puck. Like I said, he’s confident — that’s the way it feels at least. Whether it is or not, you’ve got to ask him. But that’s the way it feels for us. Like I said, guys enjoy playing in front of that. We just got to do our job to try and limit the damage against.”
Hofer said his parents Stephen and Elaine were in St. Louis on Sunday night to watch him play his first home game with the Blues. It just so happened to come against the hometown team for the Winnipeg native.
“There’s obviously a little more motivation there, but I though the team played really well in front of me,” Hofer said. “Obviously limited them to a lot of outside chances and it was nice to get the win, especially against those guys.”
Hofer, 22, was originally a fourth-round pick in 2018 by the Blues, and figures to be their backup goalie in the NHL next season. Earlier this season, St. Louis signed him to a one-way contract worth the league minimum, signaling that he will be the one behind Binnington in 2023-24.
That Hofer even got NHL games this season is a mild surprise. This is his first full season as a No. 1 goalie in professional hockey. Last season, he shared the net with Charlie Lindgren. This season, he’s been the clear starter ahead of backup Vadim Zherenko. Sunday was only Hofer’s fourth career start, and it came because of Binnington’s outburst last week against the Wild.
In the AHL, Hofer was playing some of his best hockey of the season prior to his recall.
Across four games, he made 120 saves on 123 shots, a wild stat line that meant his save percentage (.976) was actually higher than his goals against average (0.74).
“It’s been huge,” Hofer said of his play in March. “Obviously the team’s been playing well in front of me. That sounds cliché, but it’s true. Even back in Springfield, the guys have been playing really well. Obviously this is crunch time going into the playoffs. You kind of want to build momentum going into the playoffs. I think we’ve done that.”
Springfield’s playoff push seemed like a perfect reason to send Hofer back down to the minors.
He could have left the NHL with the aftertaste of a combined shutout, riding a wave of confidence into training camp in the fall. Before a bad game with St. Louis, he could go back and help Springfield enter the playoffs with momentum.
But it’s hard to send a goalie down after two wins, and 65 saves on 67 shots.
“I think it does go a long way,” Berube said of Hofer gaining NHL experience. “He’s coming up here and he’s doing a good job and he’s playing well, so he knows he can do the job.”
St. Louis Blues defenseman Nick Leddy (4) passes the puck during a game between the St. Louis Blues and the Winnipeg Jets on Sunday, March 19, 2023, at Enterprise Center in St. Louis. Photo by Michael Clubb, [email protected]
Michael Clubb, Post-Dispatch
St. Louis Blues right wing Alexey Toropchenko (13) celebrates a goal scored by right wing Kasperi Kapanen during a game between the St. Louis Blues and the Winnipeg Jets on Sunday, March 19, 2023, at Enterprise Center in St. Louis. Photo by Michael Clubb, [email protected]
Michael Clubb, Post-Dispatch
St. Louis Blues left wing Josh Leivo (17) takes a shot at goal while being defended by Winnipeg Jets defenseman Josh Morrissey (44) during a game between the St. Louis Blues and the Winnipeg Jets on Sunday, March 19, 2023, at Enterprise Center in St. Louis. Photo by Michael Clubb, [email protected]
Michael Clubb, Post-Dispatch
St. Louis Blues left wing Jakub Vrana (15) passes the puck while guarded by Winnipeg Jets defenseman Nate Schmidt (88) during a game between the St. Louis Blues and the Winnipeg Jets on Sunday, March 19, 2023, at Enterprise Center in St. Louis. Photo by Michael Clubb, [email protected]
Michael Clubb, Post-Dispatch
Fans react to a fight between St. Louis Blues defenseman Torey Krug (47) and Winnipeg Jets center Kevin Stenlund (28) during a game on Sunday, March 19, 2023, at Enterprise Center in St. Louis. Krug received a game misconduct as a result. Photo by Michael Clubb, [email protected]
Michael Clubb, Post-Dispatch
St. Louis Blues right wing Alexey Toropchenko (13) and left wing Pavel Buchnevich (89) congratulate right wing Kasperi Kapanen (42) after his goal during a game between the St. Louis Blues and the Winnipeg Jets on Sunday, March 19, 2023, at Enterprise Center in St. Louis. Photo by Michael Clubb, [email protected]
Michael Clubb, Post-Dispatch
St. Louis Blues forward Nathan Walker (26) scores a goal against the Winnipeg Jets during a game on Sunday, March 19, 2023, at Enterprise Center in St. Louis. Photo by Michael Clubb, [email protected]
Michael Clubb, Post-Dispatch
The Blues' Justin Faulk, 72, and Nathan Walker celebrate after Walker scored against Winnipeg in a game on Sunday, March 19, 2023, in St. Louis.
Michael Clubb, Post-Dispatch
St. Louis Blues defenseman Justin Faulk (72) hugs forward Nathan Walker (26) after assisting his goal during a game between the St. Louis Blues and the Winnipeg Jets on Sunday, March 19, 2023, at Enterprise Center in St. Louis. Photo by Michael Clubb, [email protected]
Michael Clubb, Post-Dispatch
The Blues' Brayden Schenn, 10, and Winnipeg's Nikolaj Ehlers fight in a game on Sunday, March 19, 2023, in St. Louis.
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St. Louis Blues defenseman Justin Faulk (72) looks for an open teammate during a game between the St. Louis Blues and the Winnipeg Jets on Sunday, March 19, 2023, at Enterprise Center in St. Louis. Photo by Michael Clubb, [email protected]
Michael Clubb, Post-Dispatch
St. Louis Blues forward Jakub Vrana (15) celebrates scoring a goal against the Winnipeg Jets during a game on Sunday, March 19, 2023, at Enterprise Center in St. Louis. The Blues defeated the Jets 3-0. Photo by Michael Clubb, [email protected]
Michael Clubb, Post-Dispatch
St. Louis Blues forward Jakub Vrana (15) celebrates scoring a goal against the Winnipeg Jets during a game on Sunday, March 19, 2023, at Enterprise Center in St. Louis. The Blues defeated the Jets 3-0. Photo by Michael Clubb, [email protected]
Michael Clubb, Post-Dispatch
St. Louis Blues forward Kasperi Kapanen (42) makes a move on Winnipeg Jets center Kevin Stenlund (28) during a game on Sunday, March 19, 2023, at Enterprise Center in St. Louis. The Blues defeated the Jets 3-0. Photo by Michael Clubb, [email protected]
Michael Clubb, Post-Dispatch
St. Louis Blues center Robert Thomas (18) makes a move on Winnipeg Jets defenseman Brenden Dillon (5) during a game on Sunday, March 19, 2023, at Enterprise Center in St. Louis. The Blues defeated the Jets 3-0. Photo by Michael Clubb, [email protected]
Michael Clubb, Post-Dispatch