Three takeaways from Blues’ 5-3 win over Sharks

The St. Louis Blues continued their road trip with a tilt in the Bay Area against the San Jose Sharks. The Blues defeated the Sharks 5-3 at SAP Center on Thursday night.

Here are my three takeaways from the Blues at Sharks game.

Schenn sustained an upper-body injury
Brayden Schenn took nine shifts and recorded seven minutes and 42 seconds of ice time in the first period. He then sustained an upper-body injury. He didn’t return to the game.

Schenn has six points (three goals, three assists) in nine games so far this season. Hopefully he’s okay, and his injury won’t keep him out of the sport for too long. He’s a good forward and center. I know he only took Ryan O’Reilly’s place on the first line, but I enjoy seeing him start between Brandon Saad and David Perron.

Saad nearly netted a hat trick
Brandon Saad scored two goals. With those two goals, he now has four points (three goals, one assist) in five games so far the season. He didn’t net a hat trick, but two goals are pretty good.

I’m glad Saad cleared the NHL’s COVID-19 protocol. He didn’t play in Saturday’s game against the Chicago Blackhawks, but he’s playing now and that’s all that matters. He was a good pickup by the Blues. He brings a veteran presence to St. Louis.

Hofer wasn’t that bad
Joel Hofer made his NHL debut as backup goaltender Ville Husso was in the NHL’s COVID-19 protocol. Also, St. Louis was in the midst of back-to-back games on the road. The Blues made the right call by not having goaltender Jordan Binnington play a rare back-to-back.

Hofer last played for the AHL’s Springfield Thunderbirds, where he had a 3-0-1 record with a 1.74 goals-against average and a .936 save percentage. He was drafted 107th overall in the fourth round by the Blues at the 2018 NHL Draft.

Some Blues fans appeared skeptical, but Hofer got the job done and pulled through some tough stretches. He stopped 23 of 26 shots, winning his first NHL game.

The Blues visit the Anaheim Ducks in Orange County on Sunday, November 7 at 5:00 pm Central.