The 2023-24 Providence Bruins season came to a disappointing end with a pair of overtime losses in Hartford.

The P-Bruins fell, 3-2, on Wednesday and, 2-1, on Friday and lost the series against the Wolf Pack, three games to one.

After routing Hartford, 6-0, in Game 2, the P-Bruins scraped together a total of only three goals in the final two games.

“The guys battled extremely hard. We didn’t have a ton of puck luck but sometimes you’ve got to create those chances. At the end of the day, we needed guys to score,” said coach Ryan Mougenel after Friday’s loss.

“It’s just tough. We were real rusty that first game (a 4-3 loss on May 1). We lose two overtime games. That’s kind of the Achilles heel of best out of five. It’s disappointing. It’s almost a disadvantage to have the bye. For us it was.”

Here’s the good, bad and ugly.

GOOD

— Providence had one foot in the grave in the third period of Game 4 but dug deep to tie the game and force overtime on John Farinacci’s goal. It was the rookie’s first goal in 21 games.

— Ian Mitchell was a standout for Providence throughout the series. He finished with 2-2-4 in the postseason, tied for the team points lead with Jimmy Lambert.

— Considering how well Jimmy Lambert played against Hartford, you wonder why he spent most of the season with Maine of the ECHL. Lambert was fast and physical and played with a lot of juice. He recorded assists in Game 3 and 4 and finished with 2-2-4, tied with Ian Mitchell in points.

— Brandon Bussi stopped 83 of 88 shots in the final three games of the series for a .943 save percentage.

— While the ending was tough, it was an entertaining and productive season. Most important from a Bruins point of view, Justin Brazeau, Parker Wotherspoon, Jesper Boqvist, Johnny Beecher and Mason Lohrei moved up to contribute in Boston after spending varying amounts of time in Providence.

BAD

— Providence hasn’t won a playoff series since 2017, when they beat Wilkes-Barre/Scranton and Hershey before losing to the Syracuse Crunch in the Eastern Conference Final. (There were no playoffs in ’20 and ’21 because of Covid.)

They’ve gone a combined 258-141-35-21 in the regular season since then, but the lack of postseason success leaves a sour taste.

— Providence caught no breaks in OT in either game. The Hartford goal that ended the season on Friday came on a shot that hit the crossbar and deflected into the net off the leg of Jake Leschyshyn, whose stick was tied up by a Bruins defenseman.

— Georgii Merkulov with 30 and Anthony Richard with 25 were Providence goal leaders in the regular season. Neither one scored a goal against the Wolf Pack.

— After playing in Hartford on Wednesday night, the P-Bruins bussed home to Providence. Then they made the return trip to Hartford on Thursday afternoon and stayed over for Friday’s game. That’s two two-hour bus rides within 14-15 hours. That didn’t have any impact on the outcome on Friday, but why not stay over after Wednesday’s game?

— Providence was caught with too many men on the ice with 2:58 left in the third period on Friday. Yeesh.

— Fabian Lysell took a hooking penalty in the neutral zone in the first period of Game 3. Hartford scored on the power play. Jimmy Lambert received a tripping penalty in the first period of Game 4. The Wolf Pack once again cashed in on the power play.

— Providence went 0 for 6 on the power play in the last two games.

— Losing Vincent Arseneau to injury just one shift into Game 3 was a tough blow for the P-Bruins. Before that, Arseneau made a lot of Hartford players very nervous every time he stepped on the ice.

UGLY

— Injured: Alec Regula, Fabian Lysell, Vincent Arseneau

Brett Harrison gets ready to convert a pass from Vincent Arseneau for Providence’s third goal on Friday night. (Photo courtesy of Providence Bruins)

The injuries are piling up as the Providence Bruins hit the road this week with their best-of-five Atlantic Division semifinal series against the Hartford Wolf Pack tied at one game each.

Providence had 10 days between games before the series got started with a 4-3 Hartford win on Wednesday at the Amica Mutual Pavilion. The P-Bruins responded with a dominating 6-0 blowout win at home on Friday.

“Everybody was on board, everybody was pulling the rope. (Brandon) Bussi was a lot sharper, made the saves he needed to make,” coach Ryan Mougenel said after Friday’s game. “Our leaders led the way, the Browns and Megnas. They did a great job for us. It was a great bounce-back win.”

Here’s the good, bad and ugly.

GOOD

— Vincent Arseneau didn’t have a point or a shot in Game 1, but the Wolf Pack certainly took note of his physicality on the forecheck. The hits continued in Game 2, but Arseneau also had a major impact on the scoresheet. He got inside for a tip-in on Providence’s first goal just 2:43 into the first period. He put a perfect pass on Brett Harrison’s tape for a goal later in the first. Near the end of the second period, he picked a corner on Dylan Garand for Providence’s fourth goal. He continued to bang bodies and rattle Hartford’s defensemen on the forecheck.

— In Game 1, Brandon Bussi wasn’t as sharp as he usually is, but he rebounded in a big way in Game 2. Bussi made a number of fine saves, kicking out all 34 Hartford shots and posting his first postseason shutout.

— Brett Harrison was a healthy scratch in Game 1 but drew into the Game 2 lineup in place of Oskar Steen and was a standout with a goal and two assists.

He won an offensive zone draw that led to Vincent Arseneau’s goal early in the first period. Later in the period he steered in a perfect pass from Arseneau for a goal, then late in the second period he earned the primary assist on Arseneau’s second goal.

“That says a lot about the kid. He’s been working really hard. He’s a young pro, he’s finding his way. (Scoring) is kind of what he does. He’s got a great nose for the net, great offensive mind. He’s getting stronger and better and we’re real happy for him. More importantly, we’re happy with how hard he’s worked. We’re proud of him,” Mougenel said.

— Patrick Brown continued his strong play with a goal in Game 1 and two assists in Game 2.

— Ian Mitchell scored two power play goals in Game 2 along with an assist in Game 1.

— Georgii Merkulov had two assists in Game 2.

— Special teams were excellent in Game 2. The power play went 2 for 6 and the P-Bruins killed all five shorthanded situations, including a 5 on 3 for a full two minutes in the third period.

— Jimmy Lambert  gave the P-Bruins a big lift with two goals in Game 1.

— With Providence ahead by six goals in the third period on Friday, Riley Duran blocked a slapshot from the point while killing a penalty. That kind of buy-in from a young player goes a long way.

BAD

— After going 10 days between games, Providence was rusty early in Game 1. Hartford scored on two of its first three shots in the opening 5:27.

— After digging out of a 0-2 hole in Game 1, Providence gave up a goal with 34 seconds left in the second period, then another one just 1:28 into the third period.

— Hartford’s Matthew Robertson rammed Vincent Arseneau into the boards from behind late in Game 2. He received five minutes for boarding and a game misconduct. It wouldn’t be a surprise if the AHL decided to suspend Robertson.

UGLY

— Injured: Alec Regula, Fabian Lysell, Joey Abate, Oskar Steen, Anthony Richard