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Joel Hofer stopped all 25 shots he faced as the St. Louis Blues opened the 2026–27 NHL season with a 4–0 road win over the Dallas Stars on October 2, 2026. It was Hofer’s first season-opening start in the NHL and the ninth shutout of his career.
How the Blues built their lead
McTavish scores in his Blues debut
Mason McTavish put St. Louis ahead at 1:34 of the first period. Colton Parayko’s initial shot was stopped by Dallas goaltender Jake Oettinger, but the rebound slid to McTavish near the crease. “It was honestly a pretty bang-bang play,” McTavish said. “It’s always nice to score in your first game. The longer it goes, the heavier your shoulders kind of get, so it’s nice to get that first one.”
Dvorsky makes it 2–0
At 13:05 of the second period, a Dallas turnover behind the net set up Dalibor Dvorsky’s goal. Pius Suter won the race to the puck against Nils Lundkvist and passed in front to Philip Broberg, who fed Dvorsky for an open-net finish as Oettinger recovered.
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Adam Jiricek appeared to extend the lead on a power play at 1:06 of the third period, but Dallas successfully challenged the play for offside and the goal was overturned. Jimmy Snuggerud scored an empty-net goal at 17:37, and Suter added another at 17:52 to make it 4–0. Snuggerud and Suter each finished with a goal and an assist.
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Hofer’s shutout and the goaltending contrast
Hofer’s 25 saves secured his ninth NHL shutout. The Blues’ October 3 recap also noted that he recorded six shutouts in the previous season, second in the League; that figure describes last season, not the new campaign. Oettinger made 20 saves for Dallas.
After the game, Blues coach Jim Montgomery praised Hofer’s focus and competitiveness, saying he was “blossoming into a potential top-10 goalie in the League.” That was Montgomery’s assessment, not an official league ranking. Hofer said the Blues stayed tight defensively against Dallas’ offense and “didn’t give them much.”
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What the coaches said about the start
Dallas coach Glen Gulutzan said St. Louis “got to their game quicker than we did and they stayed with it,” adding that Dallas needed to be sharper early and did not get its legs until the second period. The result was a single-game example of the Blues establishing their pace first; it does not by itself establish how either team will perform over the season.
Toropchenko leaves with an injury
Alexey Toropchenko left early in the second period with an upper-body injury. At the time of the October 3 recap, Montgomery said Toropchenko was “more than day-to-day” and an MRI was pending. No later diagnosis is established by that report.
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Source and game details
The game recap was written by Robert Tiffin, an NHL.com independent correspondent, and published by the Blues on October 3, 2026. NHL.com also reported the 4–0 result and Hofer’s 25-save shutout.
Quick Recap
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