Dylan Holloway, Joel Hofer lead Blues past Mammoth, 1-0

Matthew DeFranks, St. Louis Post-Dispatch on Nov 29, 2025

Published in Hockey

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ST. LOUIS — For the first time since the season's first week, the Blues have won consecutive games.

With a 1-0 win over Utah on Saturday night, the Blues strung together two wins for the first time since beating Calgary and Vancouver on Oct. 11 and 13, respectively. Dylan Holloway scored the lone goal for the Blues as Joel Hofer made 17 saves in a shutout.

The Blues killed a five-minute Utah power play in the third period after Alexey Toropchenko was given a five-minute major and a game misconduct for kneeing Mammoth leading goal-scorer Logan Cooley. Cooley needed help getting off the ice and did not return.

The Blues actually ended up playing 5:17 down a man as Blues coach Jim Montgomery did not place a player in the penalty box to serve Toropchenko's penalty. He would have been able to during any stoppage during the power play, but a whistle never came until Hofer covered the puck 17 seconds after the power play expired. Then the Blues were able to return to even strength.

The Blues finish up their three-game home stand on Tuesday against Anaheim.

Seven in a row

For the seventh straight game, the Blues scored first when Holloway found the back of the net with 1:50 remaining in the second period. Robert Thomas started the play when he won a puck from Cooley and tried to hit Holloway with a pass exiting the defensive zone.

The pass glanced off Holloway's stick and slid into open ice, where Philip Broberg chased it down. Broberg had two options: look for Jimmy Snuggerud on the back door, or drop it behind him to Holloway. He left it for Holloway, and he beat Karel Vejmelka on the far side.

Holloway's goal capped a second period in which both teams generated prime looks.

Snuggerud tipped a puck wide at one end, and Michael Carcone couldn't fit the puck around Hofer at the other end. Pavel Buchnevich nearly scored for the second straight game but was robbed by the left pad of Vejmelka, and Dalibor Dvorsky's quick follow was also stopped.

Lineup changes

There were two changes to the Blues lineup from Friday's 4-3 win over the Senators as Pius Suter and Nathan Walker were out while Toropchenko and Nick Bjugstad were in.

Blues coach Jim Montgomery said Suter was "nursing some muscle-related lower-body issue" while it was a night off for Walker to try and prevent overexertion due to his playing style.

“The way he plays, it’s not bad giving him a night off," Montgomery said. "We love having him in the lineup, but that’s a lot of wear and tear on his body. He doesn’t take easy shifts.”

Bjugstad filled in Suter's spot as the third-line center between Holloway and Snuggerud, while Toropchenko went in on the fourth line with Oskar Sundqvist and Mathieu Joseph.

Bjugstad was scratched in six of the previous eight games; Toropchenko, in the two most recent games.

Keller back home

Utah captain and Chesterfield native Clayton Keller was back in St. Louis on Saturday night, two days after his father Bryan unexpectedly died. The Blues honored Bryan Keller with a moment of silence before the game.

“I would like to say my condolences to the Keller family," Montgomery said. "I can’t imagine the sorrow for him, losing your dad so young and being a St. Louis kid and someone that’s meant a lot to the youth hockey development in St. Louis. His dad as well, I know being friends with Jeff Brown, they raised their sons together and then Trent (Frederic) being the same birth year."

Keller entered the night with 15 goals and 23 assists in 33 career games against the Blues.

"I think playing in St. Louis has always meant (more), it doesn’t matter if he’s been in an Arizona uniform or he’s in a Utah uniform," Montgomery said. "He’s such a dynamic player. You don’t get 100 points in this league, or close to it like he did last year, without being an elite player in this league.”