
John Farinacci scored Providence’s only goal on Sunday in Bridgeport. He is tied for the team lead in points with 5-7-12 in 13 games. (Photo courtesy of Providence Bruins)
After winning five of six, the Providence Bruins plummeted back to earth over the weekend.
They lost all three of their games while scoring a measly four goals.
The weekend started with a 4-2 loss at home to the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins. It was one of Providence’s weakest offensive efforts of the season. The P-Bruins showed more life on Saturday but lost to the Penguins again, 2-1. Traveling to Bridgeport on Sunday, Providence fell, 3-1, to the Islanders.
“We’re struggling to score,” coach Ryan Mougenel said after Saturday’s loss. “We have to make a decision to play the way we need to play. Some guys are doing it, for sure. Other guys are on their own page.”
Here’s the good, bad and ugly.
GOOD
— Georgii Merkulov, John Farinacci and Justin Brazeau scored a total of a goal and an assist in the three games. They were the only players with more than a point.
Ryan Mougenel had this to say about Merkulov after Saturday’s loss: “Merk’s one guy I’m extremely happy with. He works his tail off.”
— The P-Bruins scored twice in 22 seconds to make a game of it on Friday.
— Reilly Walsh scored his first goal of the season on Saturday night.
BAD
— Providence finished the weekend in seventh place in the Atlantic Division with a record of 6-7-1-2.
— Alex Nedeljkovic of the Penguins hit dead center on the empty net for a goal on Friday. When the opposition goalie buries one, well, that’s never a good thing.
— After Wilkes-Barre/Scranton scored goals from around the Providence crease in the two games against the Penguins. Ryan Mougenel wasn’t happy with his defense.
“You want to be a Bruin, you’ve got to box out, you’ve got to get under sticks, you’ve got to be mean. Right now there’s not a lot of mean back there,” he said.
— The P-Bruins have allowed 49 goals. Only four teams have given up more.
— When it rains, it pours: The team will spend Thanksgiving in Allentown, Pa.
UGLY
— Injured: Parker Wotherspoon, Vincent Arseneau, Fabian Lysell.
— The P-Bruins had just one shot in the second period on Friday and only five in the third period.
— The power play went 0 for 13 in the three games. The P-Bruins have had 76 power play opportunities, second-most in the league. But the PP’s success rate is 24th at 14.5 percent.