Donato goes 4th trying to find his game

OTTAWA — Anyone who has seen Ryan Donato skate and shoot the puck will tell you the lad from Harvard has the skill to be a top-six forward on any NHL team. But finding his spots to utilize that skill, as well as winning puck battles, have been chores in his young career.

Last night, Donato started the Bruins’ game against the Ottawa Senators on the fourth line with Sean Kuraly and Noel Acciari. And as coach Bruce Cassidy said, it’s not the worst place in the world.

“The analogy we make to Ryan is (Brad Marchand) did it years ago. The league was different then, but Danton

Heinen did it last year. He came back up, played on the fourth line, found his game, ironed out some of the details,” Cassidy said. “We’re still going to use Ryan on the No. 1 power play, we’re going to put him back up front, so hopefully he’ll get some offensive touches there. That’s his best attribute, scoring goals. He just has to round out the rest of it. Maybe playing on a straight forward line will help him do that.”

In his first seven games, Donato had one goal and a minus-3 rating. Cassidy said he still has to learn the game at this level -- not exactly a shock.

“I think he’s gotten away with being a good player at his level his whole career,” Cassidy said. “It’s not just Ryan at Harvard, it’s kids in junior, they’re used to having the puck a lot, getting back, playing heavy minutes even if it doesn’t go their way. Whereas now, they’ve got to fight for that ice time. There are better players in the league to take advantage of them, so it’s just a learning curve. And Ryan’s a smart guy. He comes from a good hockey family, so he’ll figure it out. It’s just one of those hiccups along the way.”

Donato, who raised everyone’s hopes and expectations by having an immediate impact on he B’s roster after leaving Harvard last spring, understands he wouldn’t be the first college or junior star to find himself on the fourth line. He’d like to make the same progression up the ladder as others have.

“I can see it,” Donato said. “I think I have the ability to play all 12 positions. If I’m in that position, I’m going to do everything I can to make a positive impact on the team. That’s what they want me to do, whatever position they have me in, just stay positive and do whatever I can to have a positive impact.”

Three outs

There was no update on the three players who were

sent home — Kevan Miller,

Charlie McAvoy and David Backes. Miller’s situation is perhaps the most straightforward, yet Cassidy did not have an exact timetable. The returns of McAvoy and Backes, who both were suffering from concussion-like symptoms, are murkier.

Spygate

During the Senators’ morning skate, a Bruins videographer who works for the team website was getting some B-roll while Ottawa was going through some defensive zone coverage. A Sens employee asked him to stop. He did. Though it briefly gained traction on the internet, that appears to be the end of the story . ...

Torey Krug, out all season with an ankle injury, joined the team in Ottawa to begin skating with the team. He still needs get in some battle drills to get himself ready. Cassidy said he won’t play this week, but he’s “trending on schedule.”