The St. Louis Blues ran into a brick wall on Saturday night, and it was a warranted loss. After taking down the top team in the Western Conference, the reigning Stanley Cup Champions and top seed in the Eastern Conference, Carolina, showed why they are still the heavy favorites to win it all.
A 4-0 loss with Joel Hofer in net for the Blues was the whole story, but underneath, there were a couple more losers to identify. Let's talk about it.
Losers:
Cam Fowler
Cam Fowler had one of his worst games as a Blue, in what has been a rather good season for him. He was trending in the right direction toward being a more reliable defender, and seemed like he got rid of the stink that surrounded his play last season.
A -1 on the scoresheet, he was invisible on the ice. This performance came against a very good Hurricanes offense, but it was evident that it didn't matter who was on the other side; No. 17 was off his game.
Brandon Carlo
Another sore spot in the defensive core was Brandon Carlo. A season-high four giveaways was the story there, as he was another d-man to have a -1 on his scorecard.
Carlo has been a nice addition for this blueline, but the idea of him being moved at the trade deadline is already starting to swirl. Both due to his play so far, and the logjam of defensemen behind him that are up-and-coming, time may not be on No. 25's side.
Joel Hofer
This was supposed to be Jordan Binnington's start, but head coach Jim Montgomery wanted to have his top goaltender, Hofer, in the net against the best team in the NHL. A barrage of shots came at him, and unfortunately, four of them went in.
To consider this as a black mark on his season is false, as he held his own for as long as he could against a firing squad. The Hurricanes are an elite team, and if he had the goal support he had in the Vegas game, this could have been a win.
Mason McTavish
Mason McTavish was not only held point-less, which has been a rarity this season, but was also held shot-less. For the first time this season, it seemed like No. 83 met his match.
Like Hofer, this losing effort doesn't define much, as the Hurricanes are in the position that they are because they are leagues above where the Blues currently stand. McTavish can use this for some motivation and really take it to Montreal on October 27.
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