The Providence Bruins won one and lost one on the road over the weekend.

The win, on Friday night against the Hamilton Hammers, was one for the books.

Trailing 3-0 after two periods, the P-Bruins scored five times in the third, including three in 1:43 late in the period, and won, 5-4. “Magic Mikey” Eyssimont scored a natural hat trick, including the winner with 25 seconds left, for a stunning victory. It was his third hat trick of the season.

It was the second Friday night in a row where Providence looked to be headed to a sure loss only to rally for a win.

On Saturday night Providence lost to the Belleville Senators, 5-2, but in the afterglow of Friday night, the loss was easier to swallow than it would have been if they’d lost in Hamilton.

Here’s the good, bad and ugly.

GOOD

— Recalled by Boston on Saturday, Eyssimont still leads the AHL in goals with 13 in 8 games. Who knows if he’ll be back in Providence down the road, but his stint here to this point will be remembered for a long time. It’s not uncommon for a player, especially an NHL veteran, to sulk if they’re sent down. To his credit, Eyssimont didn’t spend a second feeling sorry for himself. He went to work and played so well that when Boston needed a forward, he was the only choice.

— Ty Gallagher put up a career-high four assists in Hamilton. He is second on the team with 2-9-11 in 12 games.

— Dan Locmelis scored twice against Belleville. He’s third on the team in points with 3-7-10 in 13 games.

— Riley Duran had a goal and an assist on Friday and put a pass on the stick of Locmelis for a helper on Saturday.

— Alex Steeves put up a goal and an assist in Hamilton

— Jordan Harris and Ivan Ivan had two assists each on Friday.

— Providence is averaging 33.46 shots per game, the most in the league.

— The 51 shots the P-Bruins poured on the net in Hamilton is the highest one-game total in the league so far. Providence’s 22 shots in the third period of that game is also an AHL high.

— They are sixth in the league with an average of 3.46 goals per game. Grand Rapids is first with an average of 4 per game.

BAD

— After cutting Hamilton’s lead to 3-2 with under four minutes left, Providence allowed a shorthanded goal after some poor puck management.

— The power play is still near the bottom of the league at 29^th. They’ve scored six times on 50 chances (12 percent) and given up two goals while on the PP.

— Providence is being outscored, 14-8, in first periods so far.

— They are 1-6 when trailing after two periods.

— Of the 87 goalies that have played in the AHL to this point, Simon Zajicek’s .877 save percentage in six games ranks 62^nd.

UGLY

— Injured: Max Wanner, Alexis Gendron

They’re no longer the last-place Providence Bruins.

After a rocky first month, a pair of road wins over the weekend vaulted the P-Bruins over the Lehigh Valley Phantoms and the Springfield Thunderbirds and into fifth place in the Atlantic Division.

In Springfield on Friday, Providence trailed early but rallied for a 7-6 win on a goal 11 seconds into overtime by Ivan Ivan. Moving on to Allentown, Pa., the P-Bruins did everything right on Sunday and routed the Lehigh Valley Phantoms, 8-0.

After struggling to score early in the year, Providence has put up 20 goals in the last three games, all wins.

Here’s the good, bad and ugly.

GOOD

— Since falling behind 4-1 in the first minute of the second period on Friday, Providence has scored 14 goals and allowed only 2.

— Before taking a puck in the mouth in the third period against the T-Birds, Mikey Eyssimont had a goal and two assists. His 10 goals leads the AHL.

— Alex Steeves scored his first goal of the season and added four assists against Lehigh Valley. He was originally credited with a fifth assist before a late scoring change.

— Brendan Gaunce continues to play excellent two-way hockey. He had 1-1-2 on Friday and 1-2-3 on Sunday. He is second on the team with 6-3-9 in 11 games.

— Ty Gallagher was a standout in both games. He had 1-2-3 in Springfield and a goal against the Phantoms.

— Ivan Ivan scored twice, including the game-winner on Friday, and added an assist.

— Lukas Reichel scored a goal against Springfield and a goal and an assist against Lehigh Valley.

— Dans Locmelis scored his first goal of the season on Sunday. He assisted on Ivan’s OT winner on Friday. He has 1-7-8 in 11 games.

— After taking a long pass from Jordan Harris, Joey Abate sauced a nice feed to Jake Schmaltz for a well-executed goal in the first minute of the second period on Sunday. 

— Jiri Patera posted his first shutout with 21 saves on Sunday against Lehigh Valley. He’s won his last three starts, allowing just three goals. His save percentage is .926.

— The power play is headed in the right direction. It was 32^nd in the league to start the week, but after going 3 for 7 in the two weekend games, it’s moved up to 29^th at 11.1 percent.

— Last time Providence opened a can of whoop ass on the road like they did on Sunday was a 10-2 win at Wilkes-Barre/Scranton in March 2025.

BAD

— Providence outshot Springfield 14-10 in the first period on Friday, but fell into a 3-1 hole. Then they gave up a shorthanded goal just 42 seconds into the second period to make it 4-1.

— Simon Zajicek fought it most of the night in Springfield, allowing six goals on 30 shots. His save percentage is .882.

— When you give up a goal to an opposition player who hasn’t scored in nearly four years, well, that’s not a good thing. Before scoring on a tip on Friday, Springfield’s Kale Kessy last goal came on Dec. 11, 2022, when he played for Hershey.

UGLY

— Injured: Mikey Eyssimont, Max Wanner

With an eye to climbing out of the Atlantic Division basement, the Providence Bruins split their two weekend games.

They started the weekend with a frustrating 2-0 road loss to the Hartford Wolf Pack on Friday.

They bounced back at home on Saturday with a 5-2 win over the Utica Comets.

The bad news is that they remain last in the Atlantic with six points, two behind the Springfield Thunderbirds.

The good news is that the P-Bruins are only four points behind the first-place Hershey Bears and Charlotte Checkers with 63 regular-season games left.

Here’s the good, bad and ugly.

GOOD

— Providence got some more Mikey Magic on Saturday as Mikey Eyssimont scored twice, including the game-winner.  He has scored on 31 percent of his shots and is tied for the AHL lead with 9 goals in 6 games.

— Attilio Biasca scored his first AHL goal and chipped in an assist on Saturday.

— Riley Duran earned sticks taps and fist bumps from his teammates after going down to block a one-time slapper by Utica’s Anton Silayev early in the third period on Saturday with Providence protecting a one-goal lead.

— Captain Billy Sweezey scored his first goal of the season into an empty net and added an assist in Saturday’s win.

— Dans Locmelis assisted on two goals and was plus-2 against Utica.

— Tobie Paquette-Bisson was plus-3 on Saturday. His plus-6 leads the team and is tied for second in the league.

BAD

— The P-Bruins outshot Hartford 35 to 17 on Friday but could not break through against 38-year-old James Reimer.

— They have been blanked twice in their first nine games.

— Providence’s next six games are on the road.

— The P-Bruins have given up the first goal in eight of their nine games.

— The bad-angle goal that Jiri Patera allowed in the first period on Saturday was one that, as the TV guys like to say, he’d like to have back.

UGLY

— The power play went a total of 0 for 6 in the two games. The PP is last in the league at 5.3 percent.

— Injured: Joey Abate, Max Wanner

What a difference a win makes.

Losers of five of their first six games, the Providence Bruins put some goals on the board and posted a feel-good 6-1 victory on Sunday in Hershey, one of the most difficult places to win in the AHL.

After losing to the Bears, 5-3, on Saturday night, Providence was ready from the drop of the puck on Sunday. They took advantage of their chances, grabbed the lead and extended it while limiting Hershey’s opportunities.

Mikey Eyssimont was the star of the weekend. He scored a goal on Saturday and then potted three more on Sunday for his second hat trick in eight days. He hit the post in the third period or he would have had four goals.

At 2-5, the P-Bruins finished the weekend in last place in the Atlantic Division but with 65 games left there’s plenty of time to move up in the standings.

Here’s the good, bad and ugly. 

GOOD

— Eyssimont finished the weekend with 7-1-8 in 4 games. He is tied for the AHL lead in goals.

— Jiri Patera delivered a rock-solid 27-save performance and allowed only one goal in Sunday’s win. It was exactly what his team needed.

— The puck finally started going in for the P-Bruins as they scored nine times in two games in Hershey.

— Henri Jokiharju turned in a strong game on Saturday with two goals on seven shots.

— Dans Locmelis assisted on two goals on Saturday and was plus-two in both games.

— After going six games without a goal, Brian Halonen broke through with a goal and two helpers on Sunday. If Providence is to make any noise this season, they need Halonen to produce like he did on Sunday.

— Tobie Paquette-Bisson had two assists and was plus-four on Sunday.

— Jordan Harris posted two assists and was plus-three on Sunday.

— Brendan Gaunce scored a goal on Sunday and continues to play a strong two-way game.

— Lukas Reichel has points in four straight games.

— Jake Schmaltz scored his first goal of the season on Sunday on a smart setup by Ryan Tattle.

— For the first time this season, the P-Bruins on Sunday scored the first goal of the game.

BAD

— After scoring twice in 17 seconds to erase a two-goal hole on Saturday, Providence gave up a goal 69 seconds after tying it and the game went down the tubes.

UGLY

— Though Providence potted a power play goal on Sunday, they are second to last in the league with the man advantage at 6.3 percent — 2 for 32.

— Injured: Joey Abate, Max Wanner

Providence’s Navrin Mutter and Hartford’s Justin Nachbaur had a lively scrap on Friday. (Photo courtesy of Providence Bruins)

When the American Hockey League schedule came out last summer, it looked like the Providence Bruins might be able to make some hay early with five straight home games to open the season.

Nope.

Providence has won only one of its first five. They lost two out of three over the weekend.

On Friday, they fell 2-0 to the Hartford Wolfpack. They beat the Charlotte Checkers, 6-2, on Saturday. They lost to the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, 6-2, on Sunday.

“We’ve got to find some more guys to step up. Guys …  who want to have a full-time spot in our lineup. We need more energy. We need more grit,” Whitfield said after Sunday’s game.

Even at 1-4, they aren’t in last place in the Atlantic Division. The winless Lehigh Valley Phantoms occupy the basement.

Here’s the good, bad and ugly.

GOOD

— Simon Zajicek was credited with a goal in the dying minutes on Saturday when a Charlotte centering pass from behind the Bruins net rolled 190 or so feet down the ice and into the Checkers’ empty net. It was the first goalie goal in P-Bruins history.

— Whitfield earned his first win as head coach on Saturday.

— New arrival Mikey Eyssimont pumped some life into the offense with a hat trick in Saturday’s win.

— Navrin Mutter made an unselfish play to make Eyssimont’s hat trick happen on Saturday. On Friday he had a good fight against Hartford’s Justin Nachbaur.

— Next up for Providence is a two-game weekend in Hershey. That’s usually the last thing a struggling team needs, but in this case going on the road looks like a positive.

BAD

— The offense has been a problem, to say the least.

Providence went six-plus scoreless periods before finally breaking through on Saturday.

They’ve been shutout twice. They have scored 9 goals in 5 games and 6 of the goals came in one game.

— After a solid win on Saturday, the P-Bruins gave up a goal to the Penguins 1:57 into Sunday’s game.

— Providence hasn’t scored first in any of its five games.

— Worst plus-minuses: Dans Locmelis, minus-5 ; Lukas Reichel, Brian Halonen, Loke Johansson, minus-4

— Announced attendance was 3,761 on Friday, 4,478 on Saturday, and 4,404 on Sunday.

UGLY

— Providence leads the league in losses with four.

— The power play is 1 for 23. That’s a success rate, if you can call it that, of 4.3 percent.

— Injured: Max Wanner

The P-Bruins unveiled a pair of banners at Friday’s home opener. (Photo courtesy of Providence Bruins)

It was a lost weekend for the Providence Bruins.

The defending Atlantic Division champions dropped their opener, 2-1, to the Utica Comets on Friday and lost to Springfield Thunderbirds, 2-0, on Sunday. Both games were at home.

As the scores demonstrate, lack of offense was a problem.

“With the talent that we have here, to only score one goal in two games, it’s not good enough,” coach Trent Whitfield said on Sunday.

“We’re going to have to get to work this week and start scoring some goals. We’ve got to start getting some guys on the inside. We’re just being a little too cute. Skating around the outside, it looks good but we’re not really accomplishing a lot.

“We’ve got to get to the dirty areas, the trenches. We don’t have enough guys doing that right now.”

Back for another season, here’s the good, bad and ugly.

GOOD

— Brendan Gaunce, assisted by Ivan Ivan and Joey Abate, scored his team’s only goal all weekend and Gaunce led the way with a total of seven shots on goal in the two games.

— Challenges for offside are allowed under AHL rules this year and Providence won its first challenge on Friday, wiping out a goal by former Bruin Riley Tufte in the third period. Tufte joked after the game that such a challenge would have come in handy in Game 3 in Springfield in May, when the P-Bruins were the victims of a blown offside no-call on a Thunderbirds goal in overtime.

— Jiri Patera (22 saves on 24 shots on Friday) and Simon Zajicek (20 saves on 21 shots on Sunday) were solid in the net.

— Only allowing only four goals in two games, one of which was an empty netter, is a good start.

BAD

— Providence scored one goal on 45 shots in the two games.

— The P-Bruins went 0 for 8 on the power play.

— Providence will play its first three-in-three of the year next weekend.

UGLY

— Injured: Max Wanner

Jiri Patera is expected to be a key player for Providence this season. (Photo courtesy of Providence Bruins)

First things first: The Providence Bruins are not going to win 54 games again, like they did last season.

Many key members of the record-setting 2025-26 team have moved on, including AHL MVP Michael DiPietro, all-world captain Patrick Brown and AHL Coach of the Year Ryan Mougenel.

The top nine scorers a year ago are long gone. The leading returner is Dans Locmelis, who finished 10^th in points on last year’s team.

But despite the huge turnover, the 2026-27 P-Bruins figure to be in the thick of the playoff hunt in the Atlantic Division.

It will be a veteran team, led by new head coach Trent Whitfield, who received a well-earned promotion after a decade as an assistant coach.

“I’m excited. We’re fast. We’ve got some size. We’re heavy. We’ve got some mobility on the back end, some size and jam back there,” he said.

Jeremy Rogalski, Bruins Assistant General Manager, Analytics and Strategy, seconds Whitfield’s optimism.

“We’re going to be a competitive group. We’ve got a lot of players down here who are going to be really hungry to prove themselves and to make an impact,” he said.

“We’ve got a very deep group. We’ve got four lines, three D pairs, two goalies. Guys are going to be fighting for lineup spots every night. I think that’s going to keep the group hungry.”

Trying to predict who is going to finish where in the AHL is often an exercise in futility, but Providence has the makings of an excellent team.

“It looks like a deep division. Anything can happen at the end of the year, in the playoffs, as you’ve seen. Really, the goal is to get in the mix,” said Rogalski.

“And the development piece. You’ve got guys who want to get back to the NHL, guys who want their first NHL game.”

Here’s a breakdown of how the team looks:

FORWARDS

Whitfield is upbeat about what he has.

“I think we’re going to have a ton of speed up front. We’re going to be able to play fast, which I like. We’ve got the potential to score a lot of goals. We’ve got some guys that have scored in this league for a long time,” he said.

Locmelis, whose stock as an excellent NHL prospect continues to rise, is coming off an impressive training camp with Boston. He will get top-line minutes.

Brian Halonen is a proven AHL scorer. He put up seasons of 20, 27 and 20 goals in the last three years with Utica.

Alex Steeves, a second-team AHL All-Star after a 36-goal season with Toronto in 2024-25, is expected to be highly motivated to work his way back to the NHL after spending 2025-26 in Boston.

Lukas Reichel has speed to burn and is a proven point-producer in the AHL.

Brendan Gaunce, in his second stint in Providence, is a veteran leader who contributes at both ends of the ice.

The Bruins signed Attilio Biasca out of the Swiss league over the summer. It’s hard to predict how he’ll adjust to the AHL, but it appears he’ll have an opportunity to start the season in the top six.

Rounding out the forward group are Joey Abate, Jake Schmaltz, Riley Duran, Cross Hanas, Ivan Ivan, Navrin Mutter and Wyatt Bongiovanni. They are all solid AHL players.

DEFENSE

The D corps looks to be deep and well-rounded with Jordan Harris, Henri Jokiharju, Billy Sweezey, Tobie Paquette Bisson, Max Guenette, Max Wanner, Loke Johansson, Ty Gallagher, Chris Ortiz and Dylan MacKinnon.

“We’ve got some mobility on the back end, some size and some jam back there,” said Whitfield.

It remains to be seen how long Jokiharju remains in Providence. As an established NHL player, he could draw trade interest from a team that finds itself short on D.

GOALIE

Asking any of Providence’s goalies to live up to what DiPietro did last season would be unfair.

But the team should be in good hands with newcomer Jiri Patera and returnees Simon Zajicek and Luke Cavallin.

Patera is a 27-year-old veteran who has put up strong numbers in the AHL.

PREDICTION

As Whitfield put it, “From the goaltender on out, we’re in a good spot.”

Look for the P-Bruins to be a hard-working, entertaining team that finishes in the top half of the Atlantic Division.

Youngstown’s Cooper Simpson was a First-Team All-Star in the USHL last season. (Photo courtesy of Scott Galvin/Scott Galvin Photography)

Cooper Simpson is still a few years away from challenging for a job with the Boston Bruins.

But the arrow on his development is pointing straight up after a big season in the USHL with the Youngstown Phantoms.

The 19-year-old from Minnesota, who projects as a scoring winger, will be at development camp at Warrior Arena starting Monday. He’ll be a freshman at North Dakota in the coming season.

Picked in the third round of the 2025 NHL Draft by Boston, Simpson earned First Team All-Star honors in the USHL as he put up 34-40-74 totals in 61 games.

“Individually, I thought I had a really good year. I improved in many ways, on and off the ice. But as a team, we wish and I wish we did a lot better,” Simpson said.

“We were the best team all year in the regular season, so it kind of sucked losing in the second round. We had the mindset of winning the whole thing.”

Expectations are high in Youngstown every season and Simpson jumped in without hesitation.

“He embraced that and ran with it. I think that’s the type of kid he is,” said coach Ryan Ward, a native of Assonet, Mass., who guided the Phantoms to the USHL’s Clark Cup championship in 2023.

Simpson credited Ward with teaching him a lot over the course of the year.

“Overall, being consistent all over the ice. On offense, the ability to score and make plays. Defensively, I learned a lot of new habits. I learned that I have to play both sides of the puck to be a good player,” Simpson said.

“(Ward) taught me habits — backchecking, little stick details and positioning. It made me a better player. He also helped me mature a lot and become a leader. That helps me out on and off the ice.”

Heading into Simpson’s first season in Youngstown a year ago, Ward said, “People were a little bit down on his attitude, his compete. But, honestly, not one day did I have issues with either of those.

“He competed his ass off. He was absolutely wonderful to coach. He worked so hard and was a winner,” said Ward.

“He’s a very laidback kid. He’s got his own sense of humor, his own personality. But as a coach you can push him as hard as you need to push him. He’s very receptive to it. He’s a very coachable kid,” said Ward.

Parker Mackay, Bruins’ player development coordinator, seconds that opinion.

“What I like about working with Cooper is he’s not afraid to hear criticism. He seeks information. He’s very coachable,” Mackay said.

Throughout the season, Simpson displayed the soft hands, quick release and blistering shot that that made him a standout at Shakopee, Minn., High School, where he scored 49 goals in 31 games as a senior.

“Coop can score so many different ways. He can score on his one-timer. He can score downhill. He can score off the cycle,” said Ward.

“He took a major step in extending possession, protecting pucks in the offensive zone. He turned into a player that can be dangerous in a lot of different ways.

“His ability to be a threat in different ways is pretty indicative to me of future success in pro hockey.”

Mackay was impressed with the uptick in Simpson’s consistency from shift to shift.

“Not only with the puck, but away from the puck. I think he did a really good job this year of adding layers to his game. He became more conscientious away from the puck, knowing where he should be positionally in his own end,” Mackay said.

“There were stretches when he dominated offensively, not just on the stat sheet but the way he possessed pucks, demanded pucks, just took over games.”

After Youngstown’s season ended, Simpson took a couple of weeks off to rest and recharge. Since then he’s been skating with other college players, including Bruins prospect Will Zellers, who will be a teammate at North Dakota.

He’s better prepared for his second development camp.

“Last year was getting a feel for everything and getting to know the staff. I was kind of like a little kid – first year out of high school, just graduated,” Simpson said.

“This year I’m more ready, more comfortable with the staff in Boston after a year, made some good relationships and I feel like I’ve improved my game. I’ve gotten stronger. I feel pretty good going into camp.”

He’ll move in at North Dakota on July 7 and will be a player to watch on a powerful team playing in the strongest league in the country.

“It’s going to be fun to see how he takes that step in the NCHC. It’ll be a fun challenge for him,” said Mackay.

As far as development is concerned, Simpson is going to be in a good place.

“As he continues  to grow, North Dakota is going to be great for him, being in that environment every day,” said Ward.

Springfield is offside entering the offensive zone seconds before scoring in overtime to win Game Three.

After a historic regular season, the heavily favored Providence Bruins crashed and burned in the playoffs, losing to the Springfield Thunderbirds, three games to one, in the Atlantic Division semifinals.

What was expected to be an exciting postseason run was over before it started. It was the most disappointing end to a season in franchise history.

In Game Three on Tuesday in Springfield, Providence lost, 3-2, in overtime on a goal that was clearly offside. The linesman blew the call, plain and simple, but there is no review of offside in the AHL, so the goal stood.   

For the league, it was the most embarrassing outcome in recent history.

In Game Four on Thursday, Springfield clinched the series with a 1-0 overtime win.

And just like that, Providence’s season was over.

Full credit to Thunderbirds coach Steve Ott, captain Chris Wagner, goalie Georgi Romanov and the rest of the roster. Springfield was the better team.

Providence looked nothing like the team that rolled to an AHL-best 54-16-2 record in the regular season.

“It’s obviously disappointing. I’m more disappointed for the players. I know they wanted ultimately to have success, but at the end of the day we just didn’t execute,” said coach Ryan Mougenel.

“Losing a couple of the guys on the back end (Christian Wolanin and Victor Soderstrom) hurt our puck-moving abilities. We just couldn’t get out of our own end. That was an issue.

“But (Springfield) played really well. They played us harder. I take responsibility. As somebody that leads the group, it’s important to understand the desperation. I just don’t know if it was there,” he said.

Regarding the blown offside in the third game, “How we lost was obviously tough to swallow, for sure,” said Mougenel.

“The guys worked. It was a great group (this season). We just didn’t get it done.”

Here’s the good, bad and ugly.

GOOD

— After putting up a .930 save percentage in the regular season, Michael DiPietro posted a .931 save percentage in the playoffs.

— Matt Poitras led the team in scoring with 1-3-4 in four games.

BAD

— Providence scored only six goals in the four games. Hard to win that way.

— After going 9-2 in overtime in the regular season, the P-Bruins lost both OT games in the Springfield series.

— Despite what happened at the end of Game Three, you can’t use bad officiating as an excuse for losing. Having said that, the players and fans deserve much, much better than they got from the officials in this series.

— In hindsight, Providence didn’t have the depth for a playoff run. They used two ECHL players on PTOs against the Thunderbirds.

UGLY

— Losing a playoff series to a team that you finished 38 points ahead of in the regular season is as ugly as it gets.

— Injured: Christian Wolanin, Victor Soderstrom, Dans Locmelis

Mike DiPietro stops Chris Wagner on a breakaway in Sunday’s game. DiPietro stopped 27 of 28 shots, including 14 in the third period. (Photo courtesy of Providence Bruins)

The Providence Bruins split the first two games of their best-of-five Atlantic Division semifinal series against the Springfield Thunderbirds at home over the weekend.

After earning a first-round bye in the regular season, Providence waited13 days until the series with Springfield opened.

Looking sluggish at times, the P-Bruins dropped Game 1, 3-2, on Friday night. In the second game on Sunday, Providence beat the T-Birds, 2-1, to even the series at 1-1.

“Our urgency was there from the get-go,” said coach Ryan Mougenel after Sunday’s win. “I’m proud of how the guys responded. Playoffs aren’t easy. There’s good lessons for our guys. There’s no easy ice out there.”

Here’s the good, bad and ugly.

GOOD

— As he has been all season, AHL MVP and two-time Goalie of the Year Michael DiPietro was a difference-maker in Game 2. He stopped 27 of 28 shots, including all 14 in the third period, when the T-Birds had some good chances.  

— Frederic Brunet turned in a strong game on Sunday with primary assists on both Providence goals.

— Matej Blumel scored a goal in Game 1 and opened the scoring in Game 2.

— Matt Poitras earned primary assists on both Providence goals and played a feisty game on Sunday.

— Playing his first game after joining the team last week on a PTO, Drew Callin scored just 3:12 into Game 1.

— Navrin Mutter dished out several hard hits on the forecheck early in Game 2, helping the P-Bruins get off to a good start.   

BAD

— If Christian Wolanin is not able to play on Tuesday, the P-Bruins will be without two top defensemen in Wolanin and Victor Soderstrom, both of whom log power play time.

— The officiating in the first two games was … uneven.

“The penalties really killed the mojo, for both sides,” Mougenel said after Game 2. “It was interesting, the standard was different from (Game 1).”

— Springfield had 13 power plays in the first two games. Providence had nine.

UGLY

— Injured: Christian Wolanin, Victor Soderstrom, Fabian Lysell, Dans Locmelis