Blackhawks Practice: Ryan Donato Back on Top Line

 The Chicago Blackhawks returned to the Fifth Third Arena ice today as they prepare for the final 15 games of the regular season. Thankfully, nine of those games are at the United Center, considering the Blackhawks have lost 23 of their 26 road games. Their first game back after a 0-3-1 road trip is tomorrow night against the Seattle Kraken.

Ryan Donato Moves On Up

Interim head coach Anders Sorensen mixed up his lines again, which was expected after a 6-2 loss to the Vancouver Canucks on Saturday. The most significant change was Ryan Donato moving up the top line to play the left wing with Frank Nazar and Connor Bedard, who remains on the wing. I’m at the point where I don’t care who the third player on this line is as long as Nazar and Bedard stay together for the next 15 games.

It’s hard to argue with putting Donato in that spot right now. He’s earned it. He continues to add to his career season as he looks to earn a new contract with the Blackhawks beyond this season. After going four straight games without a point in early December, Donato has 13 goals and 36 points in his last 39 games. He is second on the team with 51 points, one point behind Bedard and Teuvo Teravainen. The only other player I’d like to see get a run on that top line is Teravainen, but he’s been playing so well with Ilya Mikheyev lately, it’s hard to break them up.

Colton Dach moved down to the third line with Landon Slaggert and Nick Foligno. Pat Maroon was back on the fourth line after being scratched the last three games. Joe Veleno will be the odd man out against the Kraken. He played just 8:34 in Vancouver, and most of that time came late in the game when the score was already out of hand. Ethan Del Mastro will draw back in on the back end, with Louis Crevier coming out.

Connor Bedard’s Misconducts

Bedard was about to smile when asked if this was the first time he’d ever received game misconducts in back-to-back games. Hopefully, this will be the last time. He said he wasn’t upset with the call against the Canucks as it was scrum late in the game, and the officials were looking to cool things down. Cameras caught him throwing his helmet once he got off the ice, but that frustration wasn’t at the call, but more so because of the score. Today, Bedard is more focused on what he wants to accomplish over the final month of the season.

“We want to grow together as a group,” he said. “All we can focus on right now is getting better each and every day- having fun and building chemistry.”

Sorensen credited Bedard with mixing it up at the end of Saturday’s game and expanded on what he could take away from this experience.

“Overall, he’s very mature for being 19, especially with the spotlight that’s on him constantly,” he said. “I’ve been impressed with how he handles it. I think it’s human nature to get to some of the points he’s got to over the last couple of games.

“The last game it was a scrum. Good for him; he stuck his nose in and stayed in there. The one in San Jose was frustration and the heat of the moment. Sidney Crosby went through a lot of that. I remember when Peter Forsberg came into the league. It happens. They want to win. He’s aware and getting better at it.”