
Justin Brazeau celebrates after scoring his 16th goal of the season on a first-period power play on Saturday. (Photo courtesy of Providence Bruins)
It wasn’t a particularly good week for the Providence Bruins. They didn’t play very well while winning once and losing twice.
In Wilkes-Barre/Scranton on Wednesday night, they escaped with a 4-3 shootout win against the last-place Penguins. The road-weary P-Bruins were blitzed, 5-0, by the Hartford Wolf Pack on the road on Friday night, then were beaten, 5-2, at home against the Bridgeport Islanders on Saturday.
Here’s the good, bad and ugly.
GOOD
— With six games left in the regular season, Providence has clinched a place in the playoffs and is in second place in the Atlantic Division with 90 points, one behind Hershey, which visits the AMP on Wednesday night.
— Johnny Beecher’s arrow is pointing up. He didn’t hesitate to drop the gloves with Brandon Scanlin on Friday after the Hartford defenseman blasted Sammy Asselin into the boards and he scored a nice goal on Saturday.
— Attendance continues to be strong. A crowd of 10,503 was at Saturday’s game on Star Wars Night. Providence is fourth in the AHL with an average of 7,787.
— Fabian Lysell scored a slick goal against Wilkes-Barrie/Scranton and buried the only goal in the shootout in Providence’s win.
— Connor Carrick assisted on both Providence goals on Saturday. He has 6-34-40 in 58 games.
— Brandon Bussi stopped all three Penguins shooters in the shootout win on Wednesday.
BAD
— The P-Bruins’ eight-game win streak ended with the loss in Hartford.
— They gave up a goal 19 seconds into Saturday’s game.
— Providence gave up two goals in 49 seconds in the first period against the Penguins and two goals in 44 seconds in the first period against the Islanders.
— Confusion between defense partners Mike Callahan and Josiah Didier led to a goal for Hartford with two seconds left in the first period on Friday.
— Don’t know how there was no penalty called on Bridgeport’s Chris Terry for dangerously shoving Joona Koppanen into the boards at the end of the second period on Saturday. Referee Chad Ingalls was 10 feet away and looking right at the play.
— The power play went 1 for 13 in the three games.
— Fabian Lysell has been minus-1 in five straight games. His minus-12 is the worst on the team.
— The team bus from Wilkes-Barre/Scranton didn’t pull into the AMP until around 3:30 a.m. on Thursday.
UGLY
— Injured: Vinni Lettieri, Mike Reilly, Joey Abate, Nick Wolff, Matt Filipe