Providence’s Trevor Kuntar scored his first pro goal last week and got his first fight out of the way on Sunday against Springfield’s Sam Bitten. (Photo courtesy of Providence Bruins)

It was another rough weekend for the Providence Bruins as they earned only one out of four points.

The P-Bruins fell behind by three goals in the first period at Springfield on Saturday and went on to lose, 5-2. In the rematch at home on Sunday, Providence got a point but lost in overtime, 3-2.

“It’s a great lesson for us that the details matter and defending first matters. Our standard’s not met here (so far) and it’s not acceptable. It’s fixable, which is the good news. Every team has to go through something. Ours is just early in the season,” said coach Ryan Mougenel.

“Our habits have to get better and a lot of it is coming from guys that we expect a lot more from, to be honest. That’s really the bottom line. You want to play and get a gift of getting in the lineup every night? Well, you’ve gotta do something when you’re there.

“Unfortunately, some guys, it’s not for lack of trying, it’s just lack of execution and lack of attention to detail.”

Here’s the good, bad and ugly.

GOOD

— Jesper Boqvist scored his first goal of the season on Saturday and recorded a team-high 5 shots.

— Providence scored power play goals in both games.

— On Sunday, after Springfield tied the game early in the third period, the P-Bruins responded with a goal by Justin Brazeau just 10 seconds later.

— The next three games are on the road for Providence, at Wilkes-Barre/Scranton and Cleveland.

“We need some time together. It will be good to get on the road,” Mougenel said.

BAD

— Referees Chris Waterstradt and Jeremy Tufts apparently switched to Hudson Bay Rules – anything goes — in overtime on Sunday. A blatant trip on Anthony Richard by Hugh McGing of the Thunderbirds right in front of Waterstradt 52 seconds in went uncalled. The puck went to the other end of the ice and Springfield scored to win the game.

On Saturday, Waterstradt and Andrew Bell made some Charmin-soft calls on both teams.

— Springfield scored on three of its first eight shots – within a span of 3:58 — on Saturday. They outshot Providence, 17-8, in the first period.

The P-Bruins got their act together and made a game of it, but the damage was done.

“I like our response after we called a timeout, but it shouldn’t take a timeout from the coach to be inspired to play the right way. It’s disappointing. We’ve always relied on our veterans to kind of send that message. It’s on me that they’re not ready to play. That’s inexcusable,” said Mougenel.

— Georgii Merkulov scored a goal on a wicked shot on Sunday, but was on the ice for all three goals against.

— Jakub Zboril was beaten wide by Matthew Peca, who broke in and scored Springfield’s fourth goal on Saturday.

UGLY

— With a record of 1-3-1-2 for 5 points, Providence finished the weekend in 25^th place in the AHL.

— Tough night for the penalty kill on Saturday as Springfield went 3 for 5 on the power play.

— Injured: Joey Abate

Providence’s Vincent Arseneau and Hershey’s Dylan McIlrath engaged in a heavyweight bout a couple of minutes into Saturday night’s game. (Photo courtesy of Providence Bruins)

The second week of the AHL season was better than the first for the Providence Bruins, but not by a lot.

While they earned three out of six points in three home games, the P-Bruins still have lots of work to do to hit their stride.

On Wednesday, Providence did enough to earn its first victory of the season, a 4-2 decision over the Bridgeport Islanders. On Friday, they didn’t play well in a 3-2 loss to the Hershey Bears.

In a rematch on Saturday night, Providence showed plenty of character in the third period and forced overtime by scoring with nine seconds left in regulation time. They lost, 5-4, in a shootout, but they displayed good pushback in coming from behind twice to get to OT.

“I think it showed a lot. It said a lot. One of the messages before the game was it’s going to be a revealing game for the group. Not just individuals,” said coach Ryan Mougenel.

“(Vincent Arsenault) did an amazing job of stepping up for his teammates (by fighting Hartford’s Dylan McIlrath). Unfortunately, the response from some of our guys wasn’t the right thing. Things like that can’t go unaddressed. Your teammate steps up for you, for you guys. He’s fighting the toughest guy in the league. I’m proud of how a lot of the guys responded. I’m disappointed in some of the guys, as well.”

Here’s the good, bad and ugly. 

GOOD

— Vincent Arseneau dropped the gloves and went toe-to-toe with Hershey heavyweight Dylan McIlrath early in Saturday’s game. Arseneau was answering McIlrath’s cross-check to the back of Oskar Steen’s head at the end of Friday’s game.

“I can’t say enough about what he did,” said Mougenel.

— Trevor Kuntar had a good week and scored the first goal of his pro career against Bridgeport. Dan Renouf, Justin Brazeau, Georgii Merkulov, Fabian Lysell recorded their first goals of the season during the three games.

— John Farinacci is off to a good start to his rookie season. He’s tied for the team scoring lead with 2-3-5 in 5 games.

“I like everything about Farinacci. He probably hears it a lot, but there’s a reason why he got into Harvard. It’s reflected in the way that he plays. He’s a really good player, he’s smart and he’s building trust with the coaching staff. Those are the guys that go up and have longevity in the NHL is guys that coaches trust. You’re seeing it up (with Boston). (Jim Montgomery) has trust in (Johnny) Beecher,” said Mougenel.

“That’s an important thing and that’s what we’re trying to instill in our guys. You play the right way and the details are there, you are going to get rewarded. If you play on the move and cheat for offense, you’re not. That’s what it’s about sometimes.”

— Michael DiPietro won his first start of the season, stopping 23 of 25 shots against Bridgeport. He made a great stop on Arnaud Durandeau with 4:30 left and Providence shorthanded and protecting a one-goal lead.

— Luke Toporowski smoked a shorthanded goal past Bridgeport’s Jakub Skarek.

— Oskar Steen has started strong and leads the team in goals with 3 in 5 games.

BAD

— Mougenel benched Fabian Lysell and Georgii Merkulov for the entire second period on Saturday night. They did return in the third period and play well.

“They’re young players, but sometimes to get young players’ attention you have to take some things away,” Mougenel said.

— Tough times for the power play, which went 1 for 16 in the three games. Providence had two lengthy 5 on 3s on Saturday night but didn’t score.

— Luckily, Oskar Steen was not injured on Dylan McIlrath’s cross-check, but he certainly could have been. McIlrath, who has played on the edge of the rules throughout his career, was assessed a two-minute penalty at the 20-minute mark of the third period, so he didn’t even have to serve it. The AHL reviewed the play and decided not to suspend McIlrath, though he was fined $200. The bottom line, then, is McIlrath paid a minimal penalty for a cross-check to an opponent’s head.

— The P-Bruins didn’t have much going in the Hershey end of the ice in Friday night’s game, mustering only 16 shots.

— Bridgeport’s first period goal was one that Michael DiPietro stops 9 times out of 10, but it got by him on Wednesday night.

UGLY

— Injured: Anthony Richard

Providence’s Luke Toporowski battles for the puck with Hartford’s Louis Domingue on Friday night. (Photo courtesy of Providence Bruins)

The Providence Bruins didn’t get off to the start they were looking for in their first two games, coming away with one out of four points.

That one point was earned in a 3-2 shootout loss to the Hartford Wolf Pack before a big home crowd on Friday. After grabbing the lead in the first period, the P-Bruins made a lot of mistakes and were outplayed.

“Some of our guys that we’ve had a couple of years have to understand that the sexy play isn’t always the play. That’s on me to hold them accountable,” coach Ryan Mougenel said after the game.

On the road on Sunday afternoon, Providence started the third period with a lead but defensive mistakes cost them as they dropped a 4-3 decision to the Springfield Thunderbirds.

Here’s the good, bad and ugly.

GOOD

— After a terrific rookie season, Brandon Bussi picked up where he left off with a brilliant, 40-save performance against Hartford. He made a half dozen seemingly impossible saves and was the reason Providence was able to earn a point.

— Jayson Megna scored the team’s first goal of the season on a power play on Friday, converting a perfect dish from Luke Toporowski.

— Oskar Steen was a standout against Hartford with a goal and an assist and nine shots. If he had any luck around the net he might have had one or two more goals.

— Attendance at the home opener was 9,147.

— The overtime on Friday was wildly entertaining, with end-to-end action and great chances at both ends of the ice. 

— The power play is off to a good start, going 1 for 6 on Friday (but failing to convert on a 5 on 3 for just over a minute) and 2 for 5 on Sunday.

— Rookie John Farinacci scored his first pro goal and added an assist in Springfield. Luke Toporowski and Marc McLaughlin also scored their first goals of the year against the Thunderbirds.

— Providence outshot Springfield, 16-3, in the second period.

BAD

— The P-Bruins were outshot, 34-16, over the last two periods and overtime against Hartford.

— Providence gave up a goal 9 seconds into the third period in Springfield.

— The P-Bruins had the lead with under three minutes left in regulation time on Friday, but Alec Regula took a cross-checking penalty and Hartford pulled its goalie for an extra attacker and tied the game.

— Mason Lohrei was caught out of position inside the offensive blue line in the second period, leading to a 4 on 1 for the Thunderbirds. Lohrei’s partner Alec Regula made a great play to break up the rush.

— Fabian Lysell had the tying goal on his stick and a lot of net to shoot at in the final minute on Sunday, but he shanked the shot.

UGLY

— Injured: Dan Renouf

Brandon Bussi, making a save against Springfield in the preseason, is coming off a rookie year in which he went 22-5-4-1 with a .924 save percentage. (Photo courtesy of Providence Bruins)

Get your popcorn ready. The puck drops on the Providence Bruins’ 32^nd season on Friday night and all indications are that it will be an entertaining one.

The P-Bruins have finished first in the Atlantic Division in three of the last four seasons. They start 2023-24 with a deep, fast, well-balanced team that figures to once again contend for the top of the division.

“We have depth in every position, which is going to be really important as the (Boston) Bruins work through some things,” said coach Ryan Mougenel, who went 80-43-13-8 in his first two seasons as head coach.

“Every line kind of has an identify, which is important. One of our real attributes is going to be our speed. I think we’re going to be real fast. And we’ve got a great blend of second-year guys that are going to take a huge step.”

Evan Gold, Providence’s general manager and Boston’s assistant GM, is excited about the team’s potential.

“We’re deep at all three positions. We like the makeup of the group. Hopefully we can maybe match up against other teams where the depth of our group and coming in waves and everyone playing our system to a T can wear down teams down.”

Here’s how the team looks.

FORWARDS

Providence has promising prospects up front in second-year pros Georgii Merkulov – second in scoring among AHL rookies last season — Luke Toporowski, Fabian Lysell and Marc McLaughlin.

Justin Brazeau, coming off his best year as a pro, is back, too, as is Oskar Steen, who had a good camp with Boston.

Veterans Anthony Richard, a 30-goal scorer for Laval last season, and Jayson Megna are free-agent additions who will be counted on to play important roles.

Jesper Boqvist starts the year in Providence after spending the last two seasons in the NHL with New Jersey.

Rookies Trevor Kuntar and John Farinacci have shown promise in the preseason. Farinacci scored a highlight-reel overtime goal against Springfield last week. Brett Harrison is another first-year player who will be in the mix.

Second-year winger Joey Abate will bring energy and get under the skin of opponents.

Veteran Vincent Arseneau, acquired from Vancouver, is an under-the-radar useful addition. He’ll keep the flies off the skill players and the youngsters.

“He understands his role. He’s also been in the league a long time and he’s improved as a player. We aren’t going to bring a guy in who can only do one thing,” said Gold.

“What impressed us is his understanding of when it’s important to be there for his teammates and also when it’s important – and you saw it in the exhibition game the other night – to just play the game. He has a good understanding of that.

“Off the ice, too, we’ve already seen that he takes opportunities to give some advice to the kids in terms of when to put in some extra work, and things like that. Even when he’s not in the lineup, I think his value to the organization will be there.”

Rounding out the roster are Curtis Hall and Adam Mechura.

“Hopefully we can generate a little more consistent offense this year, that’s through some of the young kids, too, as well as some of the vets,” said Gold.

DEFENSE

The P-Bruins have a nice combination of youth and experience as well as size on their D corps to start the season.

Mason Lohrei, Boston’s top defense prospect, starts the season in the AHL after a good camp with Boston.

Veterans Dan Renouf and new additions Alec Regula and Parker Wotherspoon will be counted on for steady minutes.

Mike Callahan looks to build on a solid rookie year and Reilly Walsh figures to continue to be a point-producer.

Looking to work his way back up to the NHL, Jakub Zboril starts the season in Providence.

Rookies Frederic Brunet and Ryan Mast round out the group.

GOAL

The net should be a strong suit.

Brandon Bussi, a revelation as a rookie last season, returns for his second year. He was an AHL Second Team All Star in ‘22-23.

Kyle Keyser and Michael DiPietro will compete for the backup job.

PREDICTION

You never really know what you’re going to get in the AHL regular season, which is a six-and-a-half-month battle of attrition. With callups and injuries, the roster you start with might not be what you finish with when April rolls around.

Having said that, there’s lots to like with this edition of the P-Bruins.

“I love our compete. I love our blend of vets and our youth,” said Mougenel.

While defending Calder Cup champ Hershey figures to be strong as usual, look for Providence to be right there with them in the hunt for first place in the Atlantic Division.