Brewin Flames Posted February 12, 2023 Share Posted February 12, 2023 (edited) Jaxson Stauber Makes Blackhawks History in 4-3 OT Win Story by Tony Marchese, On Tap Sports Net • Yesterday 1:20 PM The rookie goaltender stopped 23 of 26 shots to remain undefeated in his young NHL career and make franchise history. Jaxson Stauber Makes Blackhawks History in 4-3 OT Win© Jamie Sabau-USA TODAY Sports Chicago Blackhawks goaltender Jaxson Stauber made history Friday in front of a near-sellout United Center crowd. The game required overtime, but when the final horn sounded, the 23-year-old became the first goalie to win his first three starts in a Blackhawks uniform. Stauber most likely wouldn't have seen NHL action this season if it weren't for various injuries to Petr Mrazek, Alex Stalock, and Arvid Soderblom, but the Hawks have been forced to dig deep into their goalie depth chart. Entering this season, no one in their right mind would have predicted that Stauber was going to make Blackhawks history this season, but that's exactly what happened when the Arizona Coyotes visited Chicago on Friday. First Period The Coyotes struck early in the first period thanks to a Clayton Keller tally on Arizona's first shot of the game. That didn't inspire much confidence that the Blackhawks would be the victors when it was all said and done. While the Hawks generated chances early, the Coyotes capitalized on their opportunities and quickly added a second goal when former Blackhawk Nick Schmaltz found the back of the net 12:34 into the opening frame. Seth Jones, who has been on an absolute tear as of late, got the Blackhawks on the board just over a minute later to stop the bleeding. Second Period With the ice tilting the Blackhawks' way, Andreas Athanasiou tied the game at two on a nifty backhander just 2:34 into the second period. After the early second-period strike, the Blackhawks continued to carry the momentum throughout the remainder of the frame. After settling into the game, Jaxson Stauber began to loom large for the Blackhawks in net, stopping every shot he faced in the second period. Third Period A back-and-forth third period finally yielded a goal after nearly 15 minutes of action when Colin Blackwell put the Blackhawks ahead with a jam-in attempt on the goal line. Shortly after, Stauber continued to frustrate the Coyotes by making a ridiculous save on a Juuso Valimaki chance that could have knotted the game at three late. Despite Stauber's best efforts, the Coyotes eventually found the equalizer when Nick Bjudstad rifled home a shot from the slot with roughly two and a half minutes remaining on the clock. Alas, the Blackhawks and Coyotes needed overtime to decide the contest. Overtime Who doesn't love free hockey, especially on a Friday night? After an offensive push by the Blackhawks, the Coyotes mounted their own attack a couple of minutes into the extra frame. But Stauber stood strong and weathered the storm, making two key saves. Finally, a broken play saw Sam Lafferty kick the puck forward to Andreas Athanasiou for a breakaway chance that was denied. But Caleb Jones was right there to collect the rebound and pot the overtime winner for the Blackhawks. Chicago's victory kept Jaxson Stauber's record spotless at the NHL level. He became the first goaltender in Blackhawks history to start his career 3-0. Let that sink in for just a second. The Chicago Blackhawks, an Original Six franchise that has been around since 1926, have never before had a goalie win his first three NHL games. That's a pretty cool and tough feat. Edited February 12, 2023 by Brewin Flames Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The rookie goaltender stopped 23 of 26 shots to remain undefeated in his young NHL career and make franchise history. Jaxson Stauber Makes Blackhawks History in 4-3 OT Win© Jamie Sabau-USA TODAY Sports Chicago Blackhawks goaltender Jaxson Stauber made history Friday in front of a near-sellout United Center crowd. The game required overtime, but when the final horn sounded, the 23-year-old became the first goalie to win his first three starts in a Blackhawks uniform. Stauber most likely wouldn't have seen NHL action this season if it weren't for various injuries to Petr Mrazek, Alex Stalock, and Arvid Soderblom, but the Hawks have been forced to dig deep into their goalie depth chart. Entering this season, no one in their right mind would have predicted that Stauber was going to make Blackhawks history this season, but that's exactly what happened when the Arizona Coyotes visited Chicago on Friday. First Period The Coyotes struck early in the first period thanks to a Clayton Keller tally on Arizona's first shot of the game. That didn't inspire much confidence that the Blackhawks would be the victors when it was all said and done. While the Hawks generated chances early, the Coyotes capitalized on their opportunities and quickly added a second goal when former Blackhawk Nick Schmaltz found the back of the net 12:34 into the opening frame. Seth Jones, who has been on an absolute tear as of late, got the Blackhawks on the board just over a minute later to stop the bleeding. Second Period With the ice tilting the Blackhawks' way, Andreas Athanasiou tied the game at two on a nifty backhander just 2:34 into the second period. After the early second-period strike, the Blackhawks continued to carry the momentum throughout the remainder of the frame. After settling into the game, Jaxson Stauber began to loom large for the Blackhawks in net, stopping every shot he faced in the second period. Third Period A back-and-forth third period finally yielded a goal after nearly 15 minutes of action when Colin Blackwell put the Blackhawks ahead with a jam-in attempt on the goal line. Shortly after, Stauber continued to frustrate the Coyotes by making a ridiculous save on a Juuso Valimaki chance that could have knotted the game at three late. Despite Stauber's best efforts, the Coyotes eventually found the equalizer when Nick Bjudstad rifled home a shot from the slot with roughly two and a half minutes remaining on the clock. Alas, the Blackhawks and Coyotes needed overtime to decide the contest. Overtime Who doesn't love free hockey, especially on a Friday night? After an offensive push by the Blackhawks, the Coyotes mounted their own attack a couple of minutes into the extra frame. But Stauber stood strong and weathered the storm, making two key saves. Finally, a broken play saw Sam Lafferty kick the puck forward to Andreas Athanasiou for a breakaway chance that was denied. But Caleb Jones was right there to collect the rebound and pot the overtime winner for the Blackhawks. Chicago's victory kept Jaxson Stauber's record spotless at the NHL level. He became the first goaltender in Blackhawks history to start his career 3-0. Let that sink in for just a second. The Chicago Blackhawks, an Original Six franchise that has been around since 1926, have never before had a goalie win his first three NHL games. That's a pretty cool and tough feat.
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