Blues' Joel Hofer: Gets starting nod Friday

Hofer will guard the cage at home against the Golden Knights on Friday, Lou Korac of NHL.com reports.

Hofer took the bulk of the workload for the Blues in December, featuring in 10 of 15 games while posting a 5-3-0 record and 2.20 GAA. The 25-year-old netminder will get the first start of 2026, though Jordan Binnington figures to get the nod for the second half of the back-to-back versus Montreal on Saturday. At this point, Hofer should probably be considered the No. 1 option in St. Louis, though his hold on that spot is tenuous at best.