The St. Louis Blues were able to get themselves back into the win column, shutting out the Buffalo Sabres 3-0 on Thursday. There were a bunch of moves made by head coach Jim Montgomery, and one of which was the perfect choice.
If the former Jack Adams award winner wants to really change things up, they can make another big decision leading up to the first of a four-game homestand, hosting Seattle on Saturday. Back-up goaltender Joel Hofer should get his second start in a row, building off of his impressive win.
Is it the right choice? Or, should the cycle with Jordan Binnington continue?
Ride the hot hand
This season, both Binnington and Hofer have been off their game. It has been a valley of ups and mostly downs, and both have left fans wondering if they can even trust the netminder for each game.
Binnington, who was last rocked by Washington during the 6-1 loss earlier this week, allowed Alexander Ovechkin's 900th goal in his most recent start. In the year, he is 3-5-2, with a save percentage of .859 and a Goals Against Average of 3.34. A break might be needed for him right now.
Hofer has not really fared much better, but did look very impressive in his most recent start. On the year, he has a record of 2-3-0, saving .864 of the shots he faced so far this season and has allowed an average of 4.08 goals-per-game. Riding the hot hand might be the smartest decision to make right now, as the Blues are desperate for a winning streak.
Disrupting the schedule
The only real monkey wrench here is that both Hofer and Binnington have not been able ot get on a schedule. It is not anything like Binnington gets three starts and then Hofer gets a chance, as both goaltenders have had to see some time on their night's off due to a poor performance and a mid-game benching.
Hofer has yet to see two straight starts yet this season. That could derail things, but also might give Binnington a chance to recooperate. The next couple of games are hosting Seattle, Calgary, Philadelphia and Vegas. Giving Hofer a shot against Seattle and then letting Binnington come back in against the only team worse then St. Louis in the Western Conference, might be a very smart play from Montgomery.