St Louis Blues News

Hofer will be back between the pipes for the Blues tonight after getting the night off on Wednesday. Hofer will be looking to bounce-back from a tough start in his last appearance, when he was tagged for five goals on 29 shots in a 5-4 defeat at the hands of the Sharks on Monday. The 25-year-old netminder carries a 19-12-5 record and a .908 SV% into Friday night's matchup, where the Blues enter action at +115 on the money line.

The Blues have predominantly relied on Joel Hofer in recent weeks as they've made their late-season push for a playoff spot, but after a poor performance in Monday's 5-4 loss to the San Jose Sharks, the team will revert to their veteran netminder, Jordan Binnington. The 32-year-old Binnington was solid in his most recent outing, albeit lightly tested, saving 12 of 13 shots (.923 SV%) in a 5-1 win over the Toronto Maple Leafs. He had an impressive 1.62 GAA and .921 SV% in five games (4-1-0) in March. The Blues enter Wednesday's contest as +124 road underdogs against a Los Angeles Kings team that is also battling for a Wild Card spot despite losing five of their last six games (1-2-3).

The Blues were only four points clear of last place in the NHL at the end of December, but currently find themselves four points out of the final Wild Card spot in the Western Conference, due largely to the incredible play of Joel Hofer. The 25-year-old Hofer has an incredible 1.95GAA and .930 SV% in 15 games (10-2-3) since early January. Better year, he has a near-perfect 1.30 GAA and .955 SV% in his last nine games (7-0-2). The Blues enter Monday's contest with even -105 odds on the road against a San Jose Sharks team coming off a 3-2 win over the Columbus Blue Jackets.

Matthew Kessel will re-enter the Blues' lineup on Thursday, sending Holl to the press box as a healthy scratch. The 34-year-old Holl is averaging 15:47 time-on-ice and has one assist in five games this season.

Justin Holl will be a healthy scratch on Thursday, allowing Kessel to re-enter the lineup. The 25-year-old Kessel is averaging 12:30 time-on-ice and has three points (2G / 1A) in 27 games this season.

With Robert Thomas (upper body) out of the lineup on Thursday, Walker will draw back in for the first time in two weeks. The 32-year-old Walker is averaging 12:04 time-on-ice and has 11 points (4G / 7A) in 41 games this season.

Thomas was limited to only 14:08 time-on-ice in Tuesday's 3-0 win over the Washington Capitals. He was absent from practice on Wednesday and will not play on Thursday against the San Jose Sharks. The 26-year-old Thomas is averaging 18:56 time-on-ice and has 46 points (16G / 30A) in 53 games this season.

Hofer has emerged as the go-to option between the pipes for the Blues, and he will return to the crease on Thursday against the San Jose Sharks, fresh off of saving all 21 shots he faced for his sixth shutout of the season in a 3-0 win over the San Jose Sharks. The 25-year-old Hofer has two shutouts in his last five games and has been near perfect since returning from the Olympic break, going 6-0-2 with an absurd 1.34 GAA and .955 SV%. The Blues enter Thursday's contest as -142 home favourites against a free-falling Sharks team that has been outscored 27-11 during a five-game losing streak (0-5-0).