Toropchenko, Hofer lead Blues past Blackhawks 4-1, extend winning streak to 5 games

ST. LOUIS (AP) — Alexey Toropchenko had a goal and an assist and goalie Joel Hofer made 26 saves, leading the St. Louis Blues to a 4-1 win over the Chicago Blackhawks on Saturday.

Robert Thomas, Nathan Walker and Zach Bolduc also scored for St. Louis. Hofer improved to 4-0-1 in his last five starts as the Blues won their fifth straight and remain in sole possession of the second wild-card spot in the Western Conference.

Ilya Mikheyev scored for the Blackhawks. Arvid Soderblom stopped 21 shots as Chicago slipped to 0-6-1 in its last seven games.

Thomas batted the airborne puck in at 15:13 of the second period for a 1-0 lead. The Blues went up 2-0 when Toropchenko beat Soderblom from the right side of the crease at 17:20.

Chicago cut the lead to 2-1 on an unassisted short-handed goal by Mikheyev at 19:06.

The Blues added two goals in the final period. Walker scored off a pass from Toropchenko at 1:12. Bolduc scored at 7:43.

Takeaways

Blackhawks: Pat Maroon, a native of St. Louis, announced his retirement plans before the game. Maroon, who turns 37 next month, started Saturday for his last game in St. Louis. He received a loud ovation in the middle of the second period. Maroon was on the 2019 Stanley Cup champion Blues. He also won Cups in 2020 and 2021 with Tampa Bay.

Blues: St. Louis improved to 11-2-2 since the 4 Nations break. The Blues have won six consecutive home games.

Key moment

At 5:59 the third, Maroon and Tyler Tucker squared off to fight, much to the delight of the crowd.

Key stat

The Blackhawks, eliminated from the postseason Thursday and last in the Central Division, have two short-handed goals this season. Both by Mikheyev.

Up next

Both teams play Sunday. The Blackhawks host Philadelphia, and the Blues host Nashville.

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