Joel Hofer solid, but Blues still fall to Blue Jackets for seventh loss in a row

Tom Timmermann, St. Louis Post-Dispatch on Nov 1, 2025

Published in Hockey

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In every Blues game, it seems, is a small nugget of encouragement hidden amid yet another loss.

The Blues lost to the Columbus Blue Jackets, 3-2, on Saturday night at Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio, for their seventh loss in a row. The Blues are parked in last place in the Central Division, having gotten just two of the past 14 possible points, but they had a bunch of chances to pull even in the third period with 17 shots on goal, almost all of them in the back half of the period.

But hey, how about Joel Hofer? The beleaguered Blues backup goalie, who came into the game with a 5.81 goals-against average and a .793 save percentage, had his best game since his first of the season, on Oct. 11 at Calgary, when he allowed just two goals and got his only win so far. This time, Hofer allowed three goals, stopping 32 shots, but not enough on a night the Blues had just one goal, an early one by Justin Faulk that kept the Blues ahead for just 61 seconds, until midway through the third. He denied Columbus in a 3-on-1 break with 6:15 to play that kept the Blues in the game.

The Blues closed the lead to 3-2 with 9:55 to go in the third on Nick Bjugstad’s third goal of the season, which came on what looked like a busted play for the Blues but instead found the puck getting to Bjugstad in the slot.

The Blues followed that with a power play in which they had four shots on goal but couldn’t score, and then Mathieu Joseph got behind the Columbus defense but was denied by goalie Jet Greaves. The Blues played their most active hockey of the night in the closing minutes, swarming around the Columbus net but with no success. They had a faceoff in the Columbus zone with 3.9 seconds left, but Dalibor Dvorsky lost to Charlie Coyle and the Blue Jackets ran out the clock with the puck in the corner.

After the one-game trip, the Blues are back home on Monday to face Edmonton.

Blues fall behind

The Blues killed off two Columbus power plays in the second period, continuing the Blue Jackets' imperfect 0 for 16 run in home games this season, the only team in the league yet to score a power-play goal at home.

But in between Bjugstad’s high stick and Matthew Kessel’s cross-check, the Blue Jackets took a 2-1 lead. Zach Werenski emerged with the puck from a long Columbus possession and shot through the legs of defenseman Philip Broberg and Hofer for the goal with 8:05 to go in the period. It was Werenski’s third straight game with a goal.

It was a quieter period for Hofer, who faced only 10 shots after facing 17 in the first, but there were fewer chances from the Blues, who had only seven shots on goal.

Columbus got another power play early in the third period on a soft hooking call on Nathan Walker, and on this one, the Blue Jackets came through. Despite a screen in front of him, Hofer blocked a shot by Werenski, which then hit the post and came to a rest, unknown to Hofer, in the crease behind him. Columbus’ Sean Monahan swooped in to knock the puck in and put the Blues down 3-1.

Get one, give one

Faulk figured in both first-period goals, one for each team.

He put the Blues ahead 3:37 into the game, skating up in the right circle with a pass from Oskar Sundqvist and firing it in for his second goal of the season. Dylan Holloway also had an assist.

But 1:01 later, it was even. In a pile in front of the Blues goal, Hofer stopped two shots but couldn’t control the puck. It was loose in the crease and Faulk had the puck, that was behind him, hit his skate and trickle in. Coyle got credit for the goal.

It was the start of a good period for the struggling Hofer, who came into the game with a .793 save percentage and stopped 16 of the 17 shots he faced in the first period. One of those saves came on a short-handed breakaway by Isac Lundestrom late in the period.

Just after the tying goal, predictably, the Blues’ Tyler Tucker and the Blue Jackets’ Mathieu Olivier went at it. It was their third fight in the past three seasons, a solid level of contempt for players who are in different conferences and see each other only twice a year.

Blues coach Jim Montgomery made one change to his lineup for the game, putting in Matthew Kessel in place of Logan Mailloux, who had two first-period penalties in the Blues’ previous game, one of which led to a power-play goal.