The first weekend of the 2026-27 season told the St. Louis Blues plenty about themselves in a hurry.
In Dallas, they looked organized and sharp enough to blank the Stars by four goals. A day later in Denver, that same group got exposed in a six-goal loss to the Colorado Avalanche.
That split is the early snapshot of a transition roster: some real upside, some obvious rough edges, and a few areas already demanding attention. The biggest one sits in goal.
Joel Hofer was the difference in Dallas. He stopped everything he saw, handled rebounds cleanly and made the Stars’ top group look ordinary behind a disciplined structure. The performance fit with the steady progress he showed last spring, and it put him firmly in the conversation after one weekend.
Jordan Binnington had the opposite night in Denver. Colorado pushed the pace, St.
Louis struggled to keep traffic out of dangerous areas, and Binnington finished with six goals allowed on 36 shots. The Blues also paid for costly puck-handling mistakes behind their own net, another issue that showed up fast once the game tilted.
The blue line is dealing with its own strain, too. Injuries have pushed young defensemen into bigger minutes, and first-round pick Adam Jiříček made his NHL debut against Dallas after an unexpected roster opening. He looked composed moving the puck, even with the jump in pace.
There were bright spots on the other end as well. Mason McTavish flashed promising chemistry on the secondary scoring line with Robert Thomas’ top unit, giving St.
Louis the kind of physical center presence it missed down the stretch last season. Dalibor Dvorský also added a positive note in Denver, scoring his first goal of the young season on the power play.
The depth chart is already being tested by injuries. Alexey Toropchenko was placed on injured reserve after suffering an upper-body shoulder injury in the second period of Friday’s opener in Dallas, and he is expected to miss at least six weeks.
Tyler Tucker was put on IR before opening night after knee surgery, with a six-week re-evaluation timeline. Logan Mailloux, who had hand surgery late in camp, is also on IR and is expected to be out for about eight weeks.
Toropchenko’s loss matters beyond the lineup card. His absence takes a hit to the penalty kill and forces depth forecheckers like Zach Dean and Dillon Dubé into larger defensive roles.
The week ahead sends the Blues to Chicago to finish a three-game road trip before the home opener at Enterprise Center. A divisional matchup with the Blackhawks gives them a chance to tighten things up defensively, and then back-to-back home games against San Jose and Columbus offer a real opportunity to stack points before the schedule gets tougher later in the month.
Hofer is expected to get the start in Chicago as St. Louis tries to settle its defensive baseline.
Tue, Oct. 6 @ Chicago Blackhawks, United Center, 7:00 PM CT, ESP+
Thurs, Oct. 8 vs. San Jose Sharks, Enterprise Center, 7:00 PM CT, DIS+
Sat, Oct. 10 vs. Columbus Blue Jackets, Enterprise Center, 6:00 PM CT, ESP+
In Other News...
Stars May Have Found The Response Their Slumping Attack Needed
The Stars got exactly the kind of reset they were looking for with a 5-0 win over the Sharks, snapping out of a brief stretch in which the offense had gone quiet. After two games without much scoring, Dallas looked more like itself by keeping the game simple, spending more time in the offensive zone and tilting the ice in its favor from the start.
San Jose was already shorthanded without Macklin Celebrini, but Dallas did far more than take advantage of a thin lineup. The Stars controlled the game territorially and played with a much better edge in the details, winning battles and creating traffic instead of trying to force perfect looks, a formula that may be worth carrying forward if this attack wants to stay on track. [Read more 🡒]