Donato, Heinen maturing
BRUINS NOTEBOOK
Young, talented players don’t always become superstars overnight.
Ryan Donato made quite the impression in his first 12 NHL games a season ago, but the 22-year-old is still very much learning on the fly.
The same can be said for fellow winger Danton Heinen, both of whom have yet to make much of an impact through four games.
Donato is going to get another chance this afternoon, and he saw time on the second power play in practice.
“He’s not the first guy to sit out, he sat out in the playoffs last year, so he’s familiar with it to a certain extent,” said Bruins coach Bruce Cassidy. “But you still have to earn your spot and keep it. That’s his job to do.”
Heinen has toggled among the second, third and fourth lines in the first four games. He skated alongside David Backes and Anders Bjork in practice — with Donato taking some of those shifts — but Heinen’s need to improve hasn’t gone overlooked either.
“He’s fighting it,” said Cassidy. “He took another penalty last night. That’s something Danton in general, when he’s had tough stretches, he’s very reliable and we can count on him to bring his ‘B’ game and be a good defensive player and not hurt you. Right now, he’s taking a lot of stick fouls.”
With the skills each player brings, Cassidy and the team fully believe both will be a big part of the Bruins future success offensively.
It might not happen right away, or even by the end of the season, when they will each show their full potential. But the hope is still there one might seize that top-six forward role.
“We’d like to see them grow into that spot,” said Cassidy. “That could take a month, it could take a year, it could take a week.”
Kuraly back on track
After a sluggish start, Sean Kuraly has eased back into his role as a fourth line center.
The Bruins were hoping he’d emerge as the guy leading the third line, and while they haven’t given up on that hope yet, he’s started to elevate his game.
“I think missing camp hurts him, you’re trying to play catch-up and make plays,” said Cassidy. “You’re normally a chip-and-chase guy, and now you want to distribute. Now that he’s found his game with the type of players he’s used to playing with, maybe we’ll go back to that in time.”
Kuraly brought a physical presence Thursday — as evidenced by the broken panel behind the net — but his line has had scoring chances, too.
“We’ve always thought he’d do real well on the fourth line,” said Cassidy. “Could he get promoted out there? We didn’t know . ... We’re certainly not past that experiment.”
Bergy’s puck luck
Patrice Bergeron took a puck to the face late in practice and left the ice. Cassidy said the center might need a couple of stitches but should be fine beyond that.