BRUINS NOTEBOOK: Ryan Donato determined to benefit from being left out of lineup

After playing in the Bruins’ first three games and earning first-unit power play time, Scituate native Ryan Donato was left out of the lineup for Thursday’s game against the Oilers.

BOSTON -- It’s one of the best seats in the house, it’s reserved, and nobody wants to sit in it.

Ryan Donato had no choice on Thursday night, though. He wasn’t in the Bruins’ lineup for the first time this season, and so watched his teammates face the Oilers from the TD Garden press level.

“I’ve just got to take it as a positive, and look at the benefits,” said the rookie from Scituate, who had scored one power-play goal over this season’s first three games. “I can go up and watch the game, look at some of the things they want me to work on.”

Joakim Nordstrom, the forward scratched for Monday’s 6-3 win over the Senators, moved onto Donato’s line as the left wing, while Jake DeBrusk moved to right wing, with David Krejci at center.

Bruins coach Bruce Cassidy said his message to Donato was “fairly straightforward … At the end of the day, play better if you want to stay in the lineup.

“How do you play better? For me, I thought the last game’s details weren’t great. That’s on us to make them better, teach them. Some of it is him picking them up. We’re going to meet halfway on that, and hopefully next time, he’s better.”

Donato knew his three games hadn’t been perfect (he, Krejci and DeBrusk were all minus-2 against the Sens), but sometimes didn’t understand his mistakes until they were shown to him the next day.

“There’s some clips, video-wise, where they’ve pointed out things to me -- where to be at times,” he said. “It’s so much easier to look at it afterwards, and see where you are.”

Donato considered a seat in the press box another teaching tool.

“Overall, it’s easier to see when you’re above, and I think they know that, so they just want to give me at least a game to see it from above, understand it on a deeper level.”

Donato, who signed with the Bruins days after completing his junior season at Harvard University in March, scored five goals and nine points over the Bruins’ final 12 regular-season games, but was scratched for nine of 12 postseason games as Cassidy used more experienced players.

That was a different learning experience.

“One thing I think was the biggest benefit was being (angry), and wanting to come back harder, you know what I mean?” he said. “I think that’s something that this time does … being able to go above, and get that hunger that when I get my number called again, I want to give it all I’ve got, don’t take any shifts off, and make sure I give it my all.”

On the rise: Nordstrom, who signed a one-year, $1-million contract after three seasons with the Hurricanes, shot from a seat in the press box to a spot on the second line. After two games on different versions of the fourth line, the 26-year-old from Stockholm took a seat against the Senators on Monday.

“We have a lot of skilled players, good players,” Nordstrom said. “I knew for sure there were going to be some rotations.

“You always want to play, for sure, but we have more players than spots. That’s just the nature of it; that’s how it’s going to be.”

Cassidy, who has kept only the Brad Marchand-Patrice Bergeron-David Pastrnak line intact for all four games, indicated that more shuffling lies ahead.

“We’re not set on who’s going to be our automatic 13th forward (healthy scratch),” the coach said. “We’re still looking at different combinations.”

Around the boards: Krejci, Donato’s center for the previous two games, felt partly responsible for Donato being a healthy scratch. “(Donato) is a really good player, a really smart player,” said the veteran center, who took only one assist into Thursday’s game. “I didn’t have my ‘A’ game, so that’s on me. … If I play well, I make players around me better. I didn’t do that the last couple games.” … Third line right wing Anders Bjork replaced Donato on the Bruins’ top power play unit. … Cassidy said Tuukka Rask will start Saturday’s home game against the Red Wings.