Blues Blank Capitals 3-0 on Hofer's Sixth Shutout

St. Louis Blues goaltender Joel Hofer recorded his sixth shutout of the season with 22 saves as the Blues defeated the Washington Capitals 3-0 on Tuesday night at Enterprise Center in St. Louis. The victory marked the Blues' second straight win and improved their record to 9-2-2 since returning from the Olympic break, keeping their faint Western Conference playoff hopes alive with 70 points.

Jimmy Snuggerud opened the scoring 2:39 into the second period, beating Capitals goaltender Logan Thompson short side for his 16th goal of the season. Assists went to Logan Mailloux and Philip Broberg on the play, which came off a crisp passing sequence that shifted momentum toward the home team. The Blues had trailed in shots early, with Washington holding an 8-4 edge after a scoreless first period, but St. Louis settled in and controlled play as the game progressed.

The third period brought controversy at 8:25 when Capitals center Pierre-Luc Dubois received a match penalty for attempting to injure Blues center Robert Thomas. The incident occurred in the Washington zone after Thomas interfered with Dubois; Thomas then tackled him to the ice, where Thomas appeared to hit his head and skated...