The Providence Bruins continued to play well in their three games last week – all on the road — but came away with only two of six possible points.
In their only win, the P-Bruins dismantled the Toronto Marlies, 5-0, on Wednesday. They just missed earning a point in Rochester, losing to the Americans, 2-1, on Friday. Then they dropped another one-goal decision on Saturday in Belleville, 3-2, despite outplaying the Senators for long stretches.
Here’s the good, bad and ugly.
GOOD
*** Zach Senyshyn had the best week of his Providence career by scoring 4 times in 3 games. He leads the team with 9 goals. All 4 goals last week were scored from within a couple of feet of the blue paint. After scoring on 10.5 percent of his shots last season, he is connecting on 20.5 percent so far this year. There’s a long way to go, but he is on pace for a 27-goal season. Only 12 AHL players scored that many last season.
*** Cameron Hughes made a fine play on Senyshyn’s power play goal in Belleville, winning a faceoff in the neutral zone and then dishing to Senyshyn at the goal mouth.
*** The Peter Cehlarik to Mark McNeill to Senyshyn power play goal in Rochester was a beauty.
*** Jordan Szwarz put the P-Bruins on the board just 16 seconds into the game in Toronto, converting a smart setup by Ryan Fitzgerald.
*** Dan Vladar stopped 35 shots for his first shutout of the season in Toronto.
*** Anders Bjork had a highlight-reel snipe against the Marlies.
*** Connor Clifton’s first goal of the season was a top-shelf shot in Belleville. Kyle Cumiskey made a good play to win a race to the puck and get the puck to Fitzgerald, who fed it to Clifton.
*** The P-Bruins went 4 for 10 on the power play, which is now up to ninth in the league at 21.4 percent.
*** Fitzgerald has 17 points in his last 15 games.
*** Stick tap for Austin Fyten, who stepped up and fought Rochester’s Dalton Smith after Smith’s hit injured Jakub Zboril.
*** Every player in the Providence lineup had at least one shot on goal in Belleville.
BAD
*** The P-Bruins’ 8-game point streak ended in Rochester. Providence was one second away from tying the game and earning at least a point. Cehlarik fed a perfect pass to Szwarz, who one-timed the puck into the net, but it crossed the line just after time ran out. Seconds earlier, a Cehlarik shot hit the post and then the goalie’s back but somehow didn’t go in.
*** With Providence pressing for the tying goal in the final minute in Belleville, Cehlarik was whistled for unsportsmanlike conduct — playing without a helmet.
*** The P-Bruins have given up 5 shorthanded goals. Only 3 teams have yielded more.
UGLY
*** The P-Bruins’ bus didn’t get back to Providence from Belleville until 6:45 a.m.. on Sunday.
*** Injured: Anders Bjork, Jakub Zboril, Chris Breen, Cody Goloubef.