Ryan Donato scores twice as the Blackhawks beat the Sharks 6-3
CHICAGO (AP) — Ryan Donato had two goals and two assists, and the Chicago Blackhawks beat the San Jose Sharks 6-3 on Monday night.
Ilya Mikheyev added a goal and three assists in Chicago’s final home game before the Olympic break. Connor Bedard, Connor Murphy and Sam Rinzel also scored, and Spencer Knight made 25 saves.
The Blackhawks had lost five in a row. They improved to 3-6-2 in their last 11 games.
Macklin Celebrini had a goal and an assist for San Jose, which dropped to 1-2-1 on a five-game trip. Will Smith and Shakir Mukhamadullin also scored.
It was the second NHL meeting between Celebrini and Bedard, two of the league’s biggest young stars. Bedard was the No. 1 pick in the 2023 draft, and Celebrini was the top selection the following year.
Chicago opened a 4-0 lead with three goals in the first part of the second period, highlighted by Donato’s 12th of the season. The veteran forward made a nifty move on San Jose defenseman Vincent Desharnais before beating Yaroslav Askarov at 9:35.
San Jose closed to 5-3 on Mukhamadullin’s slick backhand 2:13 into the third, but Donato knocked in a rebound for Chicago with 5:19 remaining.
The Blackhawks played without captain Nick Foligno, who missed his second straight game with a mid-body injury.
The 20-year-old Bedard scored for the third consecutive game when he converted a one-timer 7:00 into the first period. It was the team’s first power-play goal since Jan. 10 at Nashville. It went 0 for 26 with the man advantage over the previous 10 games.
Bedard has 23 goals in 43 games, matching his career high in 82 games last season. He also has 21 career power-play goals, passing Patrick Kane for the most by a Blackhawks player before turning 21.
Up next
Both teams are on the road Wednesday night. San Jose faces the Colorado Avalanche, and Chicago takes on the Columbus Blue Jackets.
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