Blues Grind Out Gutsy 3-2 Shootout Win Over Lightning Behind Hofer’s Heroics
The St. Louis Blues didn’t exactly dominate the Tampa Bay Lightning on Tuesday night, but they found a way to win - and for a team still trying to define its identity this season, that might matter more than how it looked.
Coming off a solid bounce-back win over the Hurricanes - albeit against a tired Carolina squad - the Blues faced a well-rested Tampa Bay team that wasted no time tilting the ice early. The first 10 minutes were all Lightning.
St. Louis struggled to exit its own zone, couldn’t string together much of anything offensively, and looked like a group bracing for impact.
And then, out of nowhere, they struck.
Jake Neighbours got lost in the coverage behind the net, then popped out on the near side just in time to bury a slick feed from Jordan Kyrou - all while falling to the ice. It was a heads-up play from Neighbours and a sharp read from Kyrou, the kind of chemistry you love to see in tight games.
St. Louis doubled up just 30 seconds later.
After a textbook chip-and-chase and a hard-won board battle, Pavel Buchnevich found Nick Bjugstad open at the left hash. Bjugstad wasted no time, ripping a clean wrister past the Tampa netminder for a 2-0 lead.
Suddenly, a game that had been all Lightning was firmly in the Blues’ hands.
But holding that lead against a team like Tampa is never easy - especially when you give them chances on the power play.
The second period saw the Blues doing plenty of defending, and for a while, they were holding up well. Then came back-to-back penalties: first Alexey Toropchenko for tripping, and just seconds before that kill was complete, Nathan Walker took another trip.
Tampa didn’t need a second invitation. Nikita Kucherov, as he so often does, made the Blues pay.
He went circle-to-circle with a pass, then buried it five-on-three to cut the lead in half.
Just over a minute later, it was tied. Kucherov again served as the catalyst, setting up a clean look from the slot to even things at 2-2.
From there, the third period felt like survival mode for the Blues. They managed just five shots in the second and five more in the third - not exactly the kind of pressure you want to apply against a team like Tampa.
Still, they hung in. A few rushes gave them flashes of hope, but either the shot missed the net or the Lightning goalie stood tall.
The good news? They got to overtime.
And in the extra frame, something shifted. The Blues came out strong, winning early faceoffs and dictating possession. Tampa had a couple of looks, but Joel Hofer stood his ground, making the kind of confident, composed saves that give your team a shot at the extra point.
Then came the shootout - and let’s be honest, this has not been friendly territory for the Blues in recent years. But on this night, things were different.
Hofer stopped the first Tampa attempt. Neighbours had a good look but was denied.
Jake Guentzel missed for Tampa, and then Kyrou stepped up and delivered with a slick backhander. Hofer closed the door on the final shot, sealing a rare shootout win - the team’s first beyond regulation this season.
Hofer Stands Tall
The Blues’ defense deserves credit for limiting second-chance opportunities, but make no mistake - Hofer was the backbone of this win. He finished with 34 saves on 36 shots, and many of those were high-danger looks. This wasn’t a case of piling up easy saves; Hofer had to work.
One of his best came in the second period, sliding to his left and flashing the right pad to rob a sure goal. That save kept the Lightning off the board at a critical moment, and while they eventually tied it, the timing of that stop helped preserve the Blues’ momentum.
Hofer’s calm under pressure in overtime and the shootout was just as crucial. When your goalie is locked in like that, it gives the entire bench a jolt of confidence.
Power Play Still a Work in Progress
The power play continues to be a source of frustration. The first unit generated a couple of shots but didn’t look particularly threatening.
The second opportunity had some decent zone time, but the puck movement was sluggish and lacked creativity. Only one shot made it through, and it wasn’t much of a scoring threat.
To be fair, Tampa’s penalty kill is no joke, but the recurring theme here is the Blues’ inability to consistently generate quality looks. At times, it feels like they’re just going through the motions, and when the puck finally does move with purpose, the finish isn’t there.
This wasn’t a disaster of a power play night, but it adds to a growing pile of underwhelming performances with the man advantage. It’s an area that’s going to need attention if the Blues want to stay in the playoff hunt.
A Gritty Win That Defied the Numbers
This game had a strange rhythm. The Blues were outplayed early, then scored twice in rapid succession.
They spent most of the second period pinned in their own zone, yet somehow didn’t collapse. They were outshot 36-17, but found a way to win.
That’s hockey sometimes.
St. Louis capitalized on a couple of key moments, got elite goaltending, and saw their defense hold up just well enough.
They didn’t generate much in the way of offense after the first period, but they didn’t break either. And for a team that’s struggled to close games beyond regulation, getting that shootout monkey off their back is no small thing.
It wasn’t pretty, but it was effective. And in a long season, you take those gritty wins whenever you can get them.