The Chicago Blackhawks aren't playing for the Stanley Cup Playoffs. The team was eliminated back in February and recently is coming off a rough stretch on the road. Although Saturday featured an electric comeback win after trailing by four goals and Tuesday was a quality win over the Calgary Flames, the Hawks still have the second-best odds for the top pick in June's draft. Now, the season is about growth, development, and earning spots for the 2024-25 campaign.
One such player has made a name for themselves in the bottom six. Although he is widely considered a more established name, forward Ryan Donato is making his presence felt in the month of March. After accumulating six goals and 10 assists in the first five months of play, Donato has found a hot streak in the month of March.
In 12 March games, Donato has tallied nine points (five goals and four assists). What's fascinating is that he's played more than 16 minutes once in those 11 games, showing depth scoring prowess that the team desperately needs. Now, Donato is up to 11 goals and 15 assists on the season. If he continues this hot stretch of play, he could set new career highs in some offensive categories.
Donato has been so hot, that he was moved up to the top line for Tuesday's win against the Calgary Flames. However, the first line was kept in check despite strong changes, allowing the second line and power play to take the scoring glory.
Donato put an exclamation point on his recent hot streak with three points in the win over the San Jose Sharks on Saturday. Donato opened the scoring in the come-from-behind win and he added assists on both the Tyler Johnson and Philipp Kurashev tallies. The lone free agent acquisition from last summer is paying huge dividends down the stretch.
In the month of March, the Blackhawks have now won six games, marking their best month by far this season. In January and February combined, the Blackhawks only managed four wins. The team still has time to improve on their six wins in March, with games against the Ottawa Senators and Philadelphia Flyers still on the calendar before it flips to April.
Expect Donato to continue getting looks. The top line was held off the scoresheet, but Luke Richardson should keep the group together after a nice showing against the Flames. Donato, Connor Bedard, and Kurashev had good chemistry on Tuesday. Perhaps Donato's hot month of March will continue on Thursday.
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