Blackhawks hold off Blues as goalie Jaxson Stauber wins debut

ST. LOUIS — Blackhawks rookie goaltender Jaxson Stauber rested in proposal position — with one knee on the ice — just inside the red line at Enterprise Center on Saturday morning.

His eyes watched the power-play drill in front of him, but his mind was clearly elsewhere. Hawks goalie coach Jimmy Waite had told him Friday night that he’d make his NHL debut against the Blues — in what turned out to be a 5-3 Hawks win — but it probably felt more real in that moment.

Once puck drop came around, though, Stauber was unfazed by the bright lights. He made his first career save on Brandon Saad eight seconds in and his first big save on Ivan Barbashev five minutes later. He finished with 28 stops.

Goaltending issues instead appeared on the opposite end of the rink, as the Hawks chased Blues stalwart Jordan Binnington by scoring four times on seven shots. Jason Dickinson snapped his 30-game goal drought and Sam Lafferty snapped the Hawks’ 38-game shorthanded goal drought.

The Blues temporarily cut the Hawks’ 4-1 lead to 4-3 in the third period, but an important insurance goal by Max Domi helped the Hawks continue their unexpected January surge, winning for the sixth time in seven games.

Stauber, a 23-year-old undrafted free-agent signing out of Providence, is the son of former NHL goalie Robb Stauber, who played 62 games for the Kings and Sabres in the 1990s.

Hawks coach Luke Richardson said that connection likely gives Stauber some experience beyond his own, which — at the pro level — previously consisted of just 12 AHL games (in which he went 6-4-0 with an .896 save percentage).

The Hawks expect Petr Mrazek to start Sunday against the Kings. Prospect goalie Arvid Soderblom returned Friday for Rockford after missing a month with a groin injury but looked rusty.

Phillips thinking fast

Hawks prospect defenseman Isaak Phillips has been in the NHL more than a month now — Saturday marked his 11th game — and has settled into a rhythm.

“The first couple games I was not nervous per se, but not holding onto [the puck] or not making the right read, just trying to get it out of my hands,” Phillips said. “I am confident with my ability — I can skate with the puck and then make the pass. I definitely feel like I’m coming into my own.

“It’s not like I’m sitting on the bench, just watching and going, ‘Oh my god, I’m here.’ I’m meant to be here. This is where I belong.”

He tallied his fourth point of the season with an assist Saturday and also dropped the gloves without hesitation for his first NHL fight, although it didn’t go very well against Barbashev.

He can shoot, too — deceptively well for a defenseman. His slap shot from the point comes with pace and power, and his first NHL goal last weekend against the Kraken was a perfectly placed backhander in tight.

The biggest thing the 21-year-old Canadian has learned is how quickly a play can develop in the NHL. This isn’t his first taste — he made four appearances early last season — but he has been given a much longer leash during this stint.

“You can’t take a second off,” he said. “The second there’s a guy behind you, you can’t just watch the puck and relax — then it’s in your net. … [I’m] trying to go out every shift and just remember, ‘This is it. The game is on the line.’ That just helps me stay ready.”

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