Hofer Slams the Door as Blues Blank Stars 4-0

This was Joel Hofer’s game. The Blues netminder posted a shutout, turning away chance after chance, and his goals saved above expected — how many he prevented beyond the average — swung the night from tight to lopsided.

Under the hood, Dallas carried the flow: expected goals tilted their way 3.98 to 3.03 and they owned a shot‑attempt share of 53.7 percent. But the scoreboard read 4-0 Blues, because St. Louis finished the looks they did create. Jimmy Snuggerud, Pius Suter, Mason McTavish and Dalibor Dvorsky all buried on relatively modest looks, the kind of chances that usually need a perfect touch — and they found it.

At the other end, the misses piled up. Tyler Seguin fired four shots and still walked away empty, and the Stars hit the post twice, with Seguin and Mikko Rantanen each catching iron. Hofer’s 25 saves did the rest.

One game, simple takeaway: the Blues were ruthlessly efficient; the Stars will feel they let a winnable night slip through their fingers.