Erratic Gustafsson sits out Hawks game vs. St. Louis
Blackhawks coach Derek King sat Erik Gustafsson against the St. Louis Blues on Sunday, the fifth time in eight games the veteran defenseman did not dress.
Taking Gustafsson's place was Isaak Phillips, a fifth-round pick by the Hawks in 2020 who made his fourth NHL appearance this season.
The Hawks signed Gustafsson to a one-year contract during training camp, hoping to bring back a smarter and more responsible D-man who could also provide a spark offensively.
"I've had a history with Gus and I love Gus," King said. "It's just sometimes he's his (own) worst nightmare. A couple turnovers when we don't need it. There's a time and a place."
One of those turnovers came in the first period of the Hawks' 8-5 victory over New Jersey on Friday. Just after crossing the offensive blue line, Gustafsson was stripped while attempting to stick handle through traffic.
Gustafsson (2G, 12A in 43 games) did hustle back and was the only Hawk in the correct position as the Devils kept the puck in their zone. He laid out attempting to stop a 2-on-1, but Jack Hughes beat Kevin Lankinen and tied the game at 1-1.
Phillips is one of many up-and-coming defensemen cutting their teeth in Rockford. He impressed on his first shift against the Blues by charging into the O-zone and dishing off to Dylan Strome. A second later, Alex DeBrincat fired a shot on net.
Just moments later, however, Phillips nearly got beat on back-to-back rush attempts.
Phillips, who was paired with Seth Jones, took 2 shots on goal and blocked a shot in nearly 17 minutes.
"Thought he was good tonight," Jones said. "He made a couple great breakout passes. One I remember was cross ice to Kaner for a 3-on-2 chance. He was physical, had a big hit in the third period. Made them take a penalty. ... He looked really good."
Happy to have Saad:
St. Louis coach Craig Berube offered high praise for forward Brandon Saad before the Blues defeated the Hawks 4-0 on Sunday.
"He's one of the best team guys I've ever coached and been around," Berube said. "Very low maintenance. He never complains about anything. He just shows up and works."
Saad, who scored 114 goals in 428 games during two tours of duty with the Hawks, has 17 goals and 12 assists while averaging just under 16.5 minutes of ice time for St. Louis. Five of Saad's goals have come on the power play despite limited time on the man advantage.
"He doesn't always get on the power play - and he probably deserves to be on it, but we have a lot of guys," Berube said.
Saad just notched his 200th career goal in a victory at Toronto on February 19.
Slap shots:
Calvin de Haan missed Sunday's game with a right groin strain. ... Alex DeBrincat took a team-high 6 shots on goal against St. Louis. ... The Hawks blocked just 10 shots. ... The Blues now have eight players with double-digit goals to just four for the Hawks.