ST. LOUIS — 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 the Blues. 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 and Arvid Söderblom stopped 21 shots for the Hawks, who lost their seventh straight (0-6-1).
Thomas batted in the airborne puck at 15 minutes, 13 seconds of the second period for a 1-0 lead. The Blues went up 2-0 when Toropchenko beat Söderblom from the right side of the crease at 17:20.
Mikheyev’s unassisted short-handed goal at 19:06 made it 2-1. The Hawks, eliminated from the postseason Thursday, have two short-handed goals this season, both from Mikheyev.
The Blues added two goals in the final period. Walker scored off a pass from Toropchenko at 1:12. Bolduc scored at 7:43.
Pat Maroon retiring after season
Maroon, a St. Louis native, announced his plans to retire after the season. The left wing, 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.
“Sometimes you’ve got to give up everything you know and everything you dreamed of your whole life,” Maroon said in a pregame interview on the Chicago Sports Network. “I just know it’s time for me and it’s time for my family to go start a new chapter in our lives.”
Maroon, in his 14th NHL season, was on the 2019 Stanley Cup champion Blues. He also won Cups in 2020 and 2021 with the Tampa Bay Lightning.
“I’ve done everything I could in this league,” an emotional Maroon said after the game. “I have no regrets.”
