"Everybody's excited, especially him," said forward Zach Sanford. "It's going to be great to see him out there in a Blues uniform and see how he can help us out."
"It was a bit of a surprise last game for everybody, including him," Head Coach Craig Berube said. "Disappointing, he obviously wanted to play his first game as a Blue. He'll get his first opportunity tonight."
Based on the team's morning skate, expect Hoffman to be back on the second line alongside Jaden Schwartz and Robert Thomas, while Oskar Sundqvist - who filled in on the second line Wednesday while Hoffman awaited his work visa approval - will shift back to the fourth line with Kyle Clifford and Ivan Barbashev.
Sammy Blais will be out of the lineup after receiving a two-game suspension for his hit to Colorado's Devon Toews on Wednesday.