Joel Hofer made 33 saves as the St. Louis Blues defeated the Buffalo Sabres 3-1 after returning from their bye week. Jake Neighbours scored two goals for the Blues, while Jordan Kyrou netted the go-ahead goal early in the second period. Kyle Okposo scored Buffalo’s lone goal, inadvertently deflecting a shot into his own net. Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen stopped 23 shots for the Sabres, who have lost two consecutive games since returning from their bye week. Buffalo has struggled with slow starts, contributing to their NHL-record playoff drought. The Sabres have a 6-22-3 record when allowing the opening goal this season. Despite Luukkonen’s efforts, Buffalo has been plagued by defensive issues, allowing the most goals in the opening period in the NHL. They also rank near the bottom of the league in scoring.
The Blues took the lead in the first period with a power-play goal from Neighbours. The Sabres responded with Okposo’s goal, but Kyrou quickly regained the lead for St. Louis. Neighbours sealed the victory for the Blues with his second goal late in the game. Kasperi Kapanen returned to the lineup for St. Louis after missing several games due to injury. The Blues benefited from a video review that overturned a penalty against Colton Parayko, allowing them to maintain their lead.Buffalo’s struggles continue as they face the possibility of extending their playoff drought to a 13th consecutive season. They will look to rebound when they host the Los Angeles Kings next. Meanwhile, the Blues will travel to Montreal to take on the Canadiens in their next game.
