Defensive newcomers stand out in Blues shutout of Islanders
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Injuries forced the Blues to use a new defensive look Thursday and the alignment worked very well.
All three of this season’s newcomers on the blue line excelled during the team’s 1-0 overtime victory over the New York Islanders.
With Nick Leddy sidelined with a lower-body injury, veteran Ryan Suter moved from the third pairing into a shutdown role with Colton Parayko. Suter logged more than 25 minutes of ice time.
Pierre-Olivier Joseph stepped back into the lineup, taking Suter’s usual spot next to Matthew Kessel on the third pairing.
Philip Broberg continued to excel as Justin Faulk’s new partner, replacing the injured Torey Krug. He took a long outlet pass from goaltender Joel Hofer in overtime and set up Jake Neighbours’ game-winning redirection goal.
Broberg has a goal and four assists in his five games. His five-game point streak is the longest for a defenseman starting his Blues career.
That is notable for a franchise that has employed elite offensive defensemen Al MacInnis, Chris Pronger, Phil Housley, Scott Stevens and Steve Duchesne, among others.
Collectively, the Blues defense pairings did enough Thursday to help Hofer earn his shutout against the Islanders.
“We knew that we had to defend hard,†Suter said. “They have some good players. We stuck with it and outlasted them.â€
Suter, who turns 40 in September, made a seamless transition to the top pairing and took on the toughest assignments.
“It was fun,†Suter said. “Obviously you don’t want anybody to get hurt. (Leddy will) be back soon, hopefully, just trying to help out.â€
Blues coach Drew Bannister got what he expected from the Parayko-Suter pairing.
“I thought they played really well together,†Bannister said. “I’ve said this before, (Suter) has played close to 1,500 games, as long as he has, (he) steps into that position and feels pretty comfortable. I thought he looked great out there.â€
Joseph got another chance to play in the same lineup with his brother Mathieu, this time at home after they enjoyed a visit from family. He responded with a stronger performance than he had during his Blues debut on the road against the Vegas Golden Knights.
“I just want to go back to my roots,†P-O Joseph said. “The last game that I played I was not really myself. I just want to keep it simple at first and slowly build my game around these guys, get some chemistry with these guys, get the respect and trust from these guys when I’m ice with them.â€
Bannister believes Joseph took a big step in that direction. Joseph attempted six shots in his nearly 11 minutes of ice time and he put two shots on goal.
He was also credited with a hit, a blocked shot, a takeaway and no giveaways.
“Pounding pucks, I really liked his game,†Bannister said. “Simple. Physical.
“Got pucks through, got pucks down low for our forwards to get back to work.â€
Broberg continues to make general manager Doug Armstrong look smart for poaching from the Edmonton Oilers with an free-agent offer sheet for two years with a $4,580,917 annual average value.
He has been aggressive offensively, jumping up into the play and generating scoring chances. Broberg has been a comfortable fit with Faulk through the first five games.
“Of course, you want to have a good start,†Broberg said.
“The guys have helped me a lot to feel comfortable in here. It’s been good. (Faulk is) obviously a very good player, a good veteran to learn from. You want to build chemistry, you want to keep building.â€
Blues take a breather
After putting his team through vigorous practices Monday and Wednesday ahead of home games Tuesday and Thursday, Bannister gave the players a break Friday. The practice at Enterprise Center was optional.
Leddy did not skate, but injured Blues Oskar Sundqvist (knee surgery) and Alexandre Texier (upper body) were a full go on the ice. Texier and Leddy have been listed as sidelined day-to-day while Sundqvist is also regarded as close to returning.
The Blues will host Carolina on Saturday, catching the Hurricanes coming off their game Friday night against the Pittsburgh Penguins.
Jake Neighbours breaks through with goal in Blues overtime win against Islanders
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Jake Neighbours was sporting a new look during Thursday night’s 1-0 overtime win over the Islanders.
On his left cheek, there was a fresh gash, a swollen bump that was created a few hours earlier as Neighbours warmed up for the game. Pavel Buchnevich’s shot off the post nailed Neighbours in the face, drawing Buchnevich and teammates Brayden Schenn and Jordan Binnington to check on the rugged 22-year-old forward.
“Buchy ripped one off the post and caught me pretty good in the cheek,†Neighbours said with a laugh after the game. “But he fed me a tap-in that I missed and so we’re going to call it even.â€
Neighbours ended up just fine when you account for his game-winning goal in overtime on Thursday night, which lifted the Blues to their third win of the season and gave Neighbours his first goal of the young campaign.
Neighbours, who scored 27 goals last season, entered Thursday without a point.
“I thought he did a lot of good things,†Blues coach Drew Bannister said. “We spoke about it this morning, about where he’s going to score his goals and you saw that tonight. Had a good chance in the third getting himself in a good position in the slot. It’s nice to see him get a goal around that blue paint.â€
According to MoneyPuck, no player had more expected goals than Neighbours on Thursday night and he came close to scoring in regulation. In the third period, Neighbours tried to shove a puck over the goalline from the edge of the crease, but was denied by the right leg of Ilya Sorokin.
After the whistle, Neighbours and Islanders defenseman Alexander Romanov each received roughing minors for a wrestling match.
“That’s got to go in, right?†Neighbour said. “That’s just kind of how it was going for me. I was fighting it a little bit. Obviously, that one was frustrating, but move past it. Thought we had a lot of good shifts as a line after that and towards the end of the game. Happy I could contribute at the end there.â€
In the first four games, Neighbours had six total shots on goal. On Thursday alone, he put four on net.
On the overtime winner, Neighbours deflected a pass from Philip Broberg at the net-front, going against the grain on Sorokin. The game-winning goal was the seventh of Neighbours’ career, which is fifth in franchise history among players younger than 23.
Ahead of him? Wayne Babych (10), Robert Thomas (9), Doug Gilmour (9) and Perry Turnbull (8).
“He’s such a good kid,†Blues defenseman Ryan Suter said. “He works his butt off. He’s got that old-school mentality. It’s fun to see him get rewarded there. He almost had one early, and to get one there at the end was good.â€
Thursday was the first game that Neighbours was not on the first line. In the opening four games, Neighbours played alongside Robert Thomas and opposite Dylan Holloway (two games), Brayden Schenn (one game) and Brandon Saad (one game).
Against the Islanders, Neighbours skated with Pavel Buchnevich and Zack Bolduc. During the 9:07 of 5 on 5 that the line was on the ice, the Blues had a 12-8 edge in shot attempts, though they trailed 4-3 in shots on goal, according to Natural Stat Trick.
“He’s had a lot of chances, and he’s gone to the dirty areas and get in front of the net,†Hofer said. “It’s paid off for him.â€
Blues goaltender Joel Hofer makes NHL history with shutout, assist in overtime win
About two minutes of overtime had melted off the clock in the Blues’ eventual 1-0 overtime win over the Islanders on Thursday night, and Joel Hofer had the puck right where he’s comfortable with it.
On his stick.
The Blues goaltender handled the puck between the hashmarks in his own zone, surveying the ice and trying to pick out a pass that could help win the game for St. Louis. He found one.
It was a geometrically technical bank pass around Islanders forward Anthony Duclair and under hopping linesman Steve Barton that gravitated to Philip Broberg at the red line. Broberg needed a swivel of his hips and a few strides to pick out a driving Jake Neighbours, who redirected a levitating sauce pass from Broberg for the game-winner.
“I just saw how their guy was poaching in a little bit,†Hofer said. “I saw Broby making his way to the o-zone. Just trying to bypass the forward, that’s really all I’m trying to do.â€
Hofer’s assist on the game-winning goal capped a remarkable night for the second-year goalie, who stopped 34 shots on the way to his second career shutout. Hofer submitted the 10th game in Blues franchise history with a shutout and an assist, and the first since Jake Allen on Feb. 5, 2015. Only two of those goalies assisted on the game-winning goal, and both helpers by Jaroslav Halak (March 23, 2013) and Jacques Plante (March 24, 1970) came in the first period of multi-goal wins.
Hofer is the only goaltender in NHL history to record a shutout and also assist on the only goal of the game. There are now 155 instances of the shutout and assist combination, but none occurred in one-goal games until Thursday night.
“He likes his cookies just as much as players do,†Neighbours said. “He’s always looking to send some guys in on odd-man rushes.â€
Hofer is one of the most active goaltenders in the league when it comes to playing the puck.
He’s active in jumping behind the net to corral hard rims. He’s ready to find teammates wherever they are on the ice, even if it means hitting them in stride as they cross in front of his own net — which happened on Thursday night in the first period. He scored a goal in the AHL playoffs a few years ago, and hit both posts in the same game in 2023, too.
The one thing that could stop him on Thursday night was a pesky stanchion in the corner by the Zamboni door that twice spit the puck from the glass in front of the net in the game’s first five minutes. Hofer proceeded cautiously in that corner after that.
“It makes it easier for the D and as a whole, for the forwards,†Blues coach Drew Bannister said. “It’s just an extra player on the ice who can get out and move pucks. It breaks down the other team’s forecheck at times. If they take the D away, the middle is open. If they take the middle away, the D are open. Just bypass the pressure.â€
When the Islanders were able to apply pressure, Hofer was there to deny them.
He got some help from a pair of posts that turned away Bo Horvat twice in 11 seconds. Colton Parayko saved a would-be goal in the third period by sweeping the puck off the goalline. But Hofer made every other save.
“Unbelievable,†Neighbours said. “He’s so locked in, and just his routine on gamedays, on practice days, how he approaches every day at the rink. It’s fun to watch him. He’s really locked in and he wants to be the best he can be. There’s no surprises there with how he played today. He was outstanding and nice little apple at the end for him to top it off.â€
Blues defenseman Ryan Suter: “He was great. ÁñÁ«ÊÓƵ were throwing a lot of pucks at the net from everywhere. He was all over the place and keeping it out of the net.â€
Even before Hofer’s assist (and Broberg’s assist and Neighbours’ goal), the Blues made a pair of smart plays in overtime. When Hofer snared Jean-Gabriel Pageau’s shot from the dot with his glove, he released it to teammate Brayden Schenn. Instead of risking a faceoff in his own zone, Hofer kept the puck moving and in the Blues’ possession.
Then, with Schenn, Justin Faulk and himself at the end of the shift, Pavel Buchnevich passed the puck from his own bench back to Hofer to get a change and, again, maintain possession. After the game, Bannister praised his group’s awareness in that overtime situation.
“I thought I stayed present throughout the game, had a lot of fun,†Hofer said. “Those are fun games to be a part of, those tight games against a good team. It’s huge to get those two points.â€
The win moved the Blues to 3-2-0 on the season and put them back in the win column after losses to Vegas on Friday and Minnesota on Tuesday night. Hofer has now won both games he’s started, as he earned a victory in the Blues’ comeback win in San Jose last week.
The Blues are now 2-0 in overtime this season, and Neighbours scored his seventh game-winning goal, which is fifth in franchise history for players before turning 23.
“I thought we showed a lot of maturity,†Bannister said. “That’s a game where you can get frustrated in and our guys just stuck with it and they played the game the way it came to them. They didn’t deviate from what we had to do to have success.â€
The St. Louis Blues defeated the New York Islanders after forward Jake Neighbours scored the game winning goal in overtime on Thursday, Oct. 1…
With parents in town, defenseman Pierre-Olivier Joseph reenters Blues lineup
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On Tuesday night, the Joseph brothers arrived in style.
Mathieu and Pierre-Olivier Joseph wore matching custom suits — white and gold stripes on a navy field with peak lapels — for what could have been their first NHL home game playing together on the same team.
The two brothers played together in Vegas last week, but against the Wild, P.O Joseph was scratched. On Thursday, though, the Josephs played together in St. Louis — and did so with their parents, France and Frantzi, in attendance.
“It’s one for the memory book, for sure,†P.O Joseph said before the game. “It’s something we’ve dreamed about for so long, and we’re excited about it. At the end of the day, we’re a 23-man family in here. Doesn’t matter who is playing with who, we just want to play good and get the W tonight.â€
P.O Joseph was to be in the lineup Thursday against the Islanders with Nick Leddy sidelined with a lower-body injury. Ryan Suter ascended to the top pair with Colton Parayko, allowing a spot on the third pair for Joseph to fill.
Blues coach Drew Bannister labeled Leddy as day-to-day.
P.O Joseph signed over the summer with the Blues, partially to play with his brother, and has served as the team’s No. 7 defenseman in the first week of the season. He replaced Matthew Kessel in the lineup last week against the Golden Knights but was a healthy scratch in three of the first four games.
“Last game I played, I wasn’t really myself,†Joseph said. “I just want to keep it simple at first and slowly build my game around these guys, get some chemistry with these guys, get the respect and trust from these guys when I’m on the ice with them.â€
Bannister: “His overall camp was really good for us. His exhibition games were good. We want to get him back in there, his ability to skate, his length and move pucks, that’s something that I think, defending-wise, we’ve got to be able to kill plays.â€
In the game against the Golden Knights, the Josephs became the seventh set of brothers to play for the Blues at the same time.
And so they commemorated the occasion with suits from Montreal-based Glorius Custom that read “Blues Brothers†under the collar and featured pictures of blues and jazz history on the inner lining. The jackets also featured motivational sayings stitched in there: “Get It Done†on P.O’s and “Everything Happens for a Reason†on Mathieu’s, according to a Instagram post.
The brothers also live together in St. Louis and are hosting their parents this week.
“That’s the main reason why we got a bigger place, for them to come and stay with us,†P.O Joseph said. “Don’t need a hotel room or anything like that. It’s just nice to have family around and talk about life.â€
Injury updates
Leddy was not on the ice for the Blues’ optional morning skate on Thursday, one day after he missed Wednesday’s practice. Leddy has not skated with the team since Tuesday’s game against the Wild.
Forward Alexandre Texier (upper body) was on the ice for morning skate but missed his fourth straight game.
“He’s getting better,†Bannister said. “He’s close. I would put him as day-to-day. He’s going to be out tonight. We’ll see how he feels tomorrow. He’s getting close.â€
Forward Oskar Sundqvist (knee surgery) was also on the ice Thursday morning, but Bannister previously targeted later in the homestand for the veteran to make his season debut.
Goaltender Joel Hofer started Thursday against the Islanders, his second start of the season and first since last week in San Jose. Jordan Binnington started the home opener against Minnesota.
“Get him in the net here, give Binner a little bit of rest,†Bannister said. “Then we’ll reset in two days and get going. We’ll find out there. A lot of this is preplanned. Obviously, plans can change, but right now, we want to stick with the plan.â€
In rocky start to the season for Blues, Nick Leddy makes 'loud' mistakes: Net Front Presence
Blues must adjust their defense with Nick Leddy on the shelf: Net Front Presence
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Post-Dispatch Blues beat reporter Matthew DeFranks joined columnist Jeff Gordon to discuss the injury to Nick Leddy and how the team will adjust its defensive pairings.
If Nick Leddy misses Thursday’s game, it will snap his streak of 125 straight games in the Blues lineup, dating back to a four-game absence in January 2023.
With a series of controversial goaltender interference goal reviews across the league in the first week of the season, people around the NHL have taken notice.