Holloway Keeps Firing, Hofer Keeps Blues Ahead of Detroit
St. Louis 3, Detroit 2 — and the Blues earned it. This was a close game that tilted just enough toward the home side, and two players did the tilting.
Dylan Holloway never scored, but nobody on the ice was more dangerous. He fired 7 shots, more than anyone else in the game, and his looks carried 1.26 expected goals — expected goals measure how many goals a player's chances were worth. No one else on either team came close. Playing on a line with Jimmy Snuggerud (a goal and an assist) and Robert Thomas (an assist), Holloway kept the pressure on John Gibson, who made 30 saves on 33 shots.
At the other end, Joel Hofer stopped 28 of 30 and made the result stick. Detroit's chances were good enough to expect nearly four goals, and Hofer allowed two — his 1.77 goals saved above expected is the margin a one-goal game needs.
The rest was even: shot attempts split 66-63 for St. Louis, nobody hit iron, and neither power play scored. Pius Suter and Justin Barron added Blues goals; Andrew Copp and Moritz Seider answered for Detroit. The win lifts St. Louis to 8-8-2-type footing in a Central race where they sit seventh.
