
With NHL scouts watching, Mike Reilly scored a goal and added an assist in his first game with the Providence Bruins on Friday. (Photo courtesy of Providence Bruins)
After soaring to the top of the AHL standings in the first five weeks of the seasons, the Providence Bruins fell back to earth a bit over the weekend.
They earned two out of six points, but came out on the short end in all three games, losing in regulation time, in a shootout and in overtime, all at home.
The P-Bruins started with a lackluster 4-2 loss to the Lehigh Valley Phantoms on Friday. They were beaten, 3-2, by the Phantoms in a shootout on Saturday. On Sunday they led going into the third period but lost in overtime to the Bridgeport Islanders, 3-2.
Here’s the good, bad and ugly.
GOOD
— Despite the three losses, Providence is still first in the Atlantic Division and in the AHL with 24 points and a .750 points percentage in 16 games.
— Vinni Lettieri’s goal with 6:43 left in the third period on Saturday tied the game and allowed the P-Bruins to earn a point. He scored a power play goal on Sunday, converting a good pass from Fabian Lysell. Lettieri, who has a six-game point streak, assisted on Mike Reilly’s goal on Friday. He leads the team in scoring with 9-7-16 in 16 games. His goals this weekend were the 101st and 102nd AHL goals of his career.
— With a number of NHL scouts in the building, Mike Reilly was a standout on Friday, with a goal, an assist and six shots. He made a picture-perfect pass to Oskar Steen for Providence’s first goal. He also he played well on Sunday.
— Marc McLaughlin scored his first goal of the season on Saturday night.
— Connor Carrick had a pair of assists on Sunday. He has 1-9-10 in 14 games.
— Nick Wolff flattened Zayde Wisdom of Lehigh Valley with a clean open-ice hit on Saturday.
— Brandon Bussi kicked out 43 shots on Saturday and has the best save percentage in the AHL at .949. His 1.84 goals-against average is second.
— Attendance was solid: 6,828 on Friday, 8,097 on Saturday and 7,167 on Sunday. Providence is sixth in the league with an average of 6,898.
BAD
— Providence gave up 35, 46 and 39 shots in the three games.
— On the penalty kill Friday, Oskar Steen made a blind drop pass in the Lehigh Valley zone that sent the Phantoms off on a three on two that culminated in their first goal. Wrong time, wrong place for such a pass.
— Whoever is directing the AHL TV productions of home games needs to cut way back on the use of ice-level cameras located behind the nets.
— Providence’s Justin Brazeau put the puck in the net at the end of a very well-executed play on the power play on Friday. Unfortunately, the goal didn’t count as the puck went in just after time ran out in the first period.
— The P-Bruins will spend Thanksgiving in Syracuse.
UGLY
— Injured: Kyle Keyser, Eduards Tralmaks, Matt Filipe

Chris Wagner scores Providence’s second goal on Sunday. (Photo courtesy of Providence Bruins)