Donato Notches Winner in Return

BOSTON - There were plenty of reasons for Ryan Donato to be happy when he arrived at the rink on Thursday morning.
For one, he was no longer in Providence, summoned by the Bruins some 24 hours earlier following a month-long stint down I-95. He also found out he'd be returning to the lineup against the New York Islanders for his first NHL contest since Oct. 30.
And just for an added bonus, the game would be played on a night that Rick Middleton - his father Ted's favorite player - would be honored with his No. 16 hoisted to the TD Garden rafters.

"My dad's favorite player was Nifty. I always wore 16," Donato said following Thursday's pregame skate at Warrior Ice Arena. "At the beginning it was a little tough to not wear my number, but obviously it's for a good reason. When I was down in Prov, I actually went home for a couple days and a couple times my dad would show me [Middleton's] highlights on YouTube…I think he'll be pretty excited that I'm here."
By the end of the night, there is little doubt that that excitement had turned to pride.
Donato - with his favorite No. 16 stitched to his chest on a patch commemorating Middleton's big night - made the most of his return to the lineup by delivering the winner in the fourth round of the shootout in the Bruins' 2-1 victory.
"Sixteen was on the chest tonight, on the little patch there, so hopefully we'll keep it for the rest of the season. We'll see," quipped Donato, who opted to bump up to No. 17 upon his arrival in Boston last spring. "I knew if it was my dad's favorite player that it meant a lot to him that I was able to play in this game and it was really cool to be a part of that."

After rolling through seven shooters without a goal, the Scituate native ended things with a - fittingly - nifty dangle to sneak a backhander around the left pad of Islanders goalie Robin Lehner and by the post to secure Boston's third win in four games.
"A lot of the guys were trying to go five-hole on him," said Donato. "And I just knew that he would hopefully bite on the first move and I was lucky that he did and I got it past his left pad."
It was because of the work of Tuukka Rask that Donato even had a chance that late in the shootout. The netminder made 22 saves in regulation, before stopping all 10 shots he faced in overtime - including two Grade-A opportunities for Islanders sniper Matt Barzal - and the shootout.
"We know [Donato] can score," said Bruins coach Bruce Cassidy. "We knew he was going to be in the rotation, we just weren't sure where. And then Tuukka gave him that opportunity and he took advantage of it.
"Tuukka was excellent. Overtime, obviously, is an issue for us in terms of what we give up. We're not managing pucks well, we're not reading rushes quick enough, and he made some huge saves."

Donato landed three shots on goal in just 10:41 of ice time in his first game back with the big club, but his limited minutes were not an indictment of his play, according to Cassidy.
"He was clean. He wanted to get pucks to the net, wanted to manage his game, his shift length, his details, and I thought he did that," said Cassidy. "I don't think I ever got him in a rhythm during the game. We shortened the bench at times. It was nothing to do with his play. It was just in those tight games we want to make sure that we managed it well."
Donato had tallied just one goal in his first 11 games in Boston before being sent to Providence on Nov. 1. He took the demotion as an opportunity to round out his 200-foot game, particularly without the puck, while also gaining back his scoring touch.
The 22-year-old had little trouble putting the puck in the net in the AHL, potting five goals to go along with four assists in 10 games with the P-Bruins.
"I mean, you work really hard in your time down there," said Donato. "And to get repaid for it… you can work hard up in this league and not have a lot of success, so finally working hard paid off and it was nice to have that feeling."

The 2014 second-round pick also made sure to up his sense of urgency, which he hopes will prevent him from having to take any more trips down I-95.
"You want to make sure that you have an immediate impact on the game, show the coaches and the staff that you developed in your time there," said Donato, who totaled five goals and nine points in 12 game with Boston last season. "I tried to do that to the best of my abilities and hopefully I proved that to them today."
Now, it's about building on that opportunity. One shootout goal will not leave Donato satisfied.
"It works both ways, right?" he said. "A lot of the guys say, 'Don't get too low on yourself.' I was sent down and by no means have I accomplished myself at all since then, but you can't get too down on yourself and you can't get too high on yourself because it can impact you negatively in both ways."