The Chicago Blackhawks were down 4-0 to the San Jose Sharks near the midway mark of the second period in their game on March 23. Netminder Petr Mrazek looked shaken after giving up four goals on less than 20 shots; the offense was nowhere to be seen and head coach Luke Richardson was not pleased.
But what followed was one of the most exciting games of the season, a 5-4 win in overtime, a victory for the ages and a performance that could be the one we look back on and think, “That’s when the tide turned … that’s when the Blackhawks started to turn things around.”
Let’s explore their California comeback and what it means for the future.
Ryan Donato: Look at These Harvard Kids
It started with one goal. Ryan Donato potted his 11th of the season, banking in a rebound off a Taylor Raddysh point shot, making it 4-1.
Let me just say quickly: Donato has been one of my favorite players to watch this season, and he’s really turned it up in the month of March. Earning some power play minutes, throwing pucks on net and really stepping up his two-way game, it feels like he’s trying to finish the season strong with his effort. In a season with so much frustration, it’s been refreshing to watch.
Related: Blackhawks Prospect Report: Hayes, Nazar, Rinzel & More
That effort was on full display on the Blackhawks’ second goal when Donato won a battle behind the opposing net, turned the other way and fed a perfect backhand pass in the slot to a wide-open Tyler Johnson, scoring his 16th of the season and cutting the deficit to two.
Donato added another assist later in the game (more on that later), giving him four goals and three assists for seven points in seven games. Again, just a real Charlie Hustle out there. He’s got one more year left on his contract at $2 million. If he keeps this up, I’d like to see them extend him beyond 2024-25.
My THW colleague Brooke LoFurno said it best after the game.
“I give so much credit to Ryan Donato for making this a game,” she wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter. “His offensive boom lately paired with his enthusiasm really woke this team up.”
Seth Jones Has Been on Fire in March
When you’re the No. 1 defenseman on a team like Seth Jones, you’re asked to take on all the responsibilities like:
- Going against the team’s top lines every night
- Play on the power play and penalty kill
- Average 25:32 of ice time, with a fifth of them being close to or above 30 minutes.
- Juggle being a leader while also trying to round out your own game
It can be a lot to handle. To be honest, Jones receives so much criticism from fans online, that you can’t help but feel like in another situation with less responsibility, he would thrive. But let’s focus on his time now with Chicago.
Through his first 47 games of the season, he had one goal, which, when you consider that he’s had three seasons where he’s reached double digits in goals, four seasons of at least 40 points, including 51 in 2021-22, you’d hope to see a little more offensive upside. Yes, he had 17 assists, but considering how starved this club is for production on its blue line, you need more from someone who’s on the ice for nearly half the game.
Related: Blackhawks Building Blocks: Bedard, Slaggert, Korchinski & More
Fast forward to March 5 when Jones scored two goals against the Arizona Coyotes — that was the game they snapped the road-game losing streak! — tripling his 2023-24 goal total. Two games later, again against Arizona, Jones recorded a four-assist night in a 7-4 win.
He scored again on March 12 against the Anaheim Ducks, then added another assist in a loss against the Los Angeles Kings on March 19, and wouldn’t you know it: Jones has found his offensive mojo.
That mojo was on display midway through the third period against the Sharks, when Jones fired a wrist shot with eyes at the San Jose net, getting past Devin Cooley and making it a 4-3 game.
Philipp Kurashev would tie the game with 47 seconds to go (more on that later), sending this game to overtime. It wouldn’t take long for the Blackhawks’ No. 1 blueliner to remind everyone why he’s No. 1.
Slap shots are overrated, anyway. But what a performance. His two goals give him five in the month of March, and according to Bleacher Nation’s Tab Bamford (Hey Tab!), his 40 shots on goal in 11 games ranks third among all NHL defensemen this month.
“There have been a lot of times this year we’ve kind of separated and tried to do it ourselves a lot of the time,” Jones said after the game. “I think tonight we really hunkered down and we did it together.”
As I said earlier, it’s been a frustrating season for everyone on this team, whether it’s been losses, injuries or a lack of development from some of the team’s youth. But for Jones, you have to think this is the best he’s felt playing the game in a long, long time. Take the good times when you can find them.
What This Game Means in the Long Run for the Blackhawks
As of the publish date of this story, the Blackhawks are 20-46-5 with 45 points, second last in the league and just five points ahead of … the Sharks for the worst record in the NHL. As Mad Men’s Pete Campbell once said: “Not great, Bob!”
Somehow this team has better odds at winning the lottery for the No. 1 overall pick in this summer’s draft than the 2022-23 version of this team did — and last year’s version actually won the damn thing! They’re near the bottom in a ton of offensive and defensive categories, and there’s a good chance up to half of this season’s roster — maybe more — isn’t on the team next season.
Related: Blackhawks Youth Making a Difference in March
But when you go through the history of the NHL or any other professional sports league and look at the teams who had to go through a difficult rebuild before winning a championship(s), each of them had their own turning point. Maybe it was drafting a player like Connor Bedard or Patrick Kane, or it was the addition of a big free agent, or a new coach, or a string of games where they just couldn’t lose.
Or maybe it just takes one game, like the one they had on a Saturday night in Northern California.
“I thought they did it together,” Richardson said in the post-game scrum. “I thought the guys were encouraging each other. I heard them after the second period to really go out there and get this tonight, and they really wanted it. I think, internally, that’s good leadership in the room to pull things together.”
Watching from home, it sure felt like it. Let’s see if this group can pull things together for the last 11 games of the season.