Hofer stops 25, Blues shut out Stars in season opener

DALLAS -- Joel Hofer made 25 saves in the first season-opening start of his NHL career, a 4-0 win for the St. Louis Blues against the Dallas Stars at American Airlines Center on Friday.

It was the ninth NHL shutout for Hofer, who was second in the League with six last season.

“We obviously know about (Dallas’) offense,” Hofer said. “They’re obviously very dynamic and can make very good plays, but we were up to the test tonight. We were very tight on them and didn’t give them much, so kudos to our guys.”

Mason McTavish scored in his debut for St. Louis. Jimmy Snuggerud and Pius Suter each had a goal and an assist.

“(Hofer’s) just ultra competitive,” Blues coach Jim Montgomery said. “He’s really focused, he’s really matured. I think we’re starting to see a goalie that is blossoming into a potential top-10 goalie in the League.”

Jake Oettinger made 20 saves for the Stars, who were also playing in their season opener.

“At the end of the day, they got to their game quicker than we did and they stayed with it,” Dallas coach Glen Gulutzan said. “We need to be a little bit sharper, certainly in our start. We didn’t get our legs until the second.”

Stars forward Tyler Seguin (torn ACL in right knee) played in his first game since Dec. 2, 2025. He was minus-2 with six penalty minutes in 14:55 of ice time.

“I felt like it was a long time off,” Seguin said. “Felt fast the first half of the game, and then it started slowing down a bit, so that’s when I started feeling a bit better. I’m only going to get better. Not very happy with tonight, but tomorrow’s a new day.”

McTavish gave the Blues a 1-0 lead just 1:34 into the first period. Colton Parayko's initial shot was stopped by Oettinger, but as the defenseman tried to corral his rebound the puck slid to McTavish, who tapped it into the net from just outside the crease.

“It was honestly a pretty bang-bang play,” McTavish said. “Just kind of got to the net. Parayko made a great play kind of getting it there. Just kind of was behind my legs, in between them. I don’t even know really how I got it, but it somehow ended up in the net. It was nice to get that one out of the way.”

St. Louis acquired McTavish in a trade with the Anaheim Ducks on June 26 for two first-round picks (Nos. 15 and 29) in the 2026 NHL Draft.

“It was nice to see one go in early, kind of take the pressure off. It was a great start to the game, for sure,” 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. Looking forward to hopefully adding some.”

Dalibor Dvorsky made it 2-0 at 13:05 of the second period. Oettinger tried to leave the puck behind the net for Nils Lundkvist, but Suter beat him to it and passed it out front to Philip Broberg. Oettinger then tripped over Roope Hintz while trying to get back into his net, allowing Dvorsky to shoot into an open goal after receiving a feed from Broberg.

Adam Jiricek appeared to score his first NHL goal for the Blues on a power play at 1:06 of the third period, but the call was overturned after a successful coach’s challenge for offside.

“He looked like he’s been in the League for three years,” Montgomery said of Jiricek. “Calm. He made plays in the second where we were not at our best, and he just seemed like, ‘OK, I’ll just carry it into the zone.’ It was impressive how calm he looked.”

Snuggerud (17:37) and Suter (17:52) scored empty-net goals 15 seconds apart to seal the 4-0 win.

NOTES: Blues forward Alexey Toropchenko left the game with an upper-body injury early in the second period following a hit by Stars defenseman Lian Bichsel. Montgomery said he is “more than day-to-day,” but that the team won’t have a further update until an MRI is performed.