Blues blank Stars 4-0 as Hofer shines in NHL season opener
McTavish scores 94 seconds into St. Louis debut; Seguin returns for Dallas
2 min read
File photo: St. Louis Blues at Seattle Kraken, January 2024. Photo: Jenn G, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
The St. Louis Blues opened the NHL season with a 4-0 win over the Dallas Stars on Friday night at American Airlines Center, before a crowd of 18,532 in Dallas.
Hofer's shutout
Joel Hofer made 25 saves for his ninth career shutout and his first start in a season opener. The Blues goaltender was sharp throughout, turning aside Dallas chances as St. Louis controlled large stretches of play. At the other end, Jake Oettinger stopped 20 shots for the Stars but received limited support once St. Louis built its lead.
McTavish debut goal
Mason McTavish scored 1:34 into his Blues debut after arriving in a trade from the Anaheim Ducks for two first-round picks, giving St. Louis an early cushion and an immediate return on the acquisition. Dalibor Dvorsky added a second-period goal to extend the advantage. Empty-netters from Jimmy Snuggerud at 17:37 and Pius Suter at 17:52 of the third period sealed the result and completed the 4-0 scoreline.
Seguin returns
Dallas forward Tyler Seguin returned from an ACL injury for his first appearance since Dec. 2, 2025, a notable milestone for the Stars on opening night even as the team came up empty against Hofer.
The Blues' depth scoring — with four different goal scorers — underlined a balanced opening-night performance, while McTavish's early strike set the tone for a road team that never trailed. Dallas will look to rebound in its next outing as Seguin continues to build match fitness after his long injury layoff.
St. Louis leaves Dallas with two points and a clean sheet to start the campaign, while Dallas begins its season looking for answers after a shutout defeat on home ice. Reporting was based on NHL.com and ESPN.
