Joel Hofer hasn’t been the problem for the St. Louis Blues’ uneven start to the 2026-27 season.
St. Louis is 2-2-1 for five points after the comeback win over Columbus, 5-3, but the early funk has come from other places: the offense has gone quiet, the defense has been hit hard by injuries, and the goaltending has been split between one netminder carrying the load and another who had a rough lone outing.
That’s where Hofer enters the picture. He has been the Blues’ best goalie by a wide margin, and the numbers back it up.
Through his first five games of the season, he has gone 1-1-1 while posting a .930 save percentage, a 1.68 goals-against average and one shutout. In 179:06 of ice time, No. 30 has looked like the guy capable of taking over as the starter.
The record doesn’t flatter him, but the performances do.
Hofer has faced 71 shots and allowed five goals. The Blues have given him eight goals of support on 77 shots when he’s been in the crease, which says plenty about how little help he’s gotten at times.
St. Louis has generated pressure with Hofer in net, but the team should have more to show for those nine periods than it does.
The bigger issue is that the Blues haven’t gotten enough from their top line. Their only real breakout came against Columbus, and that was the one game in this stretch when Jordan Binnington was in goal.
Binnington’s start against the Blue Jackets was rocky, too. He gave up two first-period goals, putting St. Louis in a hole before the comeback turned the night around.
Now the Blues turn back to Hofer with games against Ottawa, Minnesota and Nashville this week. If St. Louis wants to get out of this early-season mess, it has to start doing more when he’s in goal.
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Stenberg is at least on the radar for future NHL duty, and the path hed be walking is clearer than it was a week ago. A call-up has not been announced, but with openings available and the lineup needing reinforcements, the Blues have a real chance to see whether he can handle a role that would put him in the mix with the clubs third-line group. [Read more 🡒]
Blues Finally Have The Offensive Support Their Top Line Needed
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For a team that has long needed more answers beyond its stars, that shift matters almost as much as the record itself. The coaching staff is leaning into depth scoring to tilt matchups in the Blues favor, and early results suggest the strategy is giving St. Louis a more sustainable way to generate offense while taking pressure off its primary scorers. [Read more 🡒]