
Frederic Brunet, left, Alex Steeves, center, and Fabian Lysell celebrate Lysell’s game-winning goal on Friday night. (Photo courtesy of Providence Bruins)
The good times continue to roll for the Providence Bruins.
They extended their franchise-record, season-opening undefeated streak to six with a pair of home wins over the weekend.
On Friday, the P-Bruins pulled out a 5-3 win over the Springfield Thunderbirds. On Sunday, they beat the Bridgeport Islanders for the third time this season, 4-1.
“There was a lot to like today,” coach Ryan Mougenel said after Sunday’s game. “When guys get put into the lineup like (Colin) Felix, who hadn’t played in two weeks and steps up, plays as hard as he did, there’s a lot to like in that.
“I like our competitiveness. It’s evident in practice. I think some of the guys are having success because of how hard they compete.”
Here’s the good, bad and ugly.
GOOD
— Riley Tufte had 1-3-4 and was plus-4 on Friday, then added a helper on Sunday. He is third in scoring in the AHL with 4-6-10 in six games. He has points in his last four games.
— Georgii Merkulov scored twice on Sunday. He’s fifth in the league in scoring with 4-5-9 in six games. He is now in second place on the all-time P-Bruins scoring list with 188 points.
— Patrick Brown scored two goals on Friday and had an assist on Sunday. He has 4-4-8 in six games, good for a tie for eighth in the AHL. He has points in five straight games.
— The power play is third in the league at 33.3 percent.
— After recording two assists on Friday, Brett Harrison scored his first of the year on Sunday.
— Matej Blumel earned two assists on Sunday. He is tied for eighth in the AHL with 2-6-8 in six games.
— Frederic Brunet and Riley Tufte are tied for the AHL lead with plus-nine.
— The Providence roster is completely healthy. That might not seem like a big deal only 15 days into the season, but players sidelined because of injuries is usually such a day-to-day reality that it is notable when no one is hurt.
— Fabian Lysell displayed an impressive burst of speed late in Friday’s game, sailing in on a breakaway and scoring the game-winner. After scoring at a rate of 12 to 13 percent in his first three years, he’s scoring at a rate of 30.8 percent so far this season.
— Providence goaltending was solid in both games. Mike DiPietro stopped 20 of 23 shots against Springfield. Simon Zajicek kicked out 23 of 24 against Bridgeport. Zajicek’s save percentage is .939.
— Providence poured a season-high 19 shots on the Springfield net in the second period on Friday.
BAD
— Providence squandered a 3-0 lead against Springfield.
— On the AHL TV on Flo Hockey stream on Friday night, the Kiss Cam was occupied showing a couple locking lips in the stands and missed Patrick Brown’s goal in the second period. Come on, guys, be better.
UGLY
— The penalty kill is 29th in the AHL at 70.6 percent. Springfield’s power play went two for two on Friday.