
Providence’s Dalton Bancroft and Belleville’s Djibril Touré had a spirited bout on Friday night. (Photo courtesy of Providence Bruins)
The Providence Bruins haven’t had many – or any — weekends like this one so far this season.
After winning a franchise record 13th game in a row, 5-2, against Belleville on Friday, the P-Bruins lost in Springfield, 3-2, on Saturday, then got off to a bad start and dropped a 5-2 decision to last-place Hartford at the AMP on Sunday.
Here’s the good, bad and ugly.
GOOD
— Providence finished the weekend in first place in the Atlantic Division with a record of 38-10-1 and 77 points. They are two points ahead of second-place Wilkes-Barre/Scranton with four games in hand.
— Brett Harrison scored twice against Belleville, including one in the opening 27 seconds of the first period.
— Georgii Merkulov had two assists on Friday and one on Sunday.
— Matej Blumel had a goal and an assist against Belleville and two assists against Springfield.
— Patrick Brown had an assist on Saturday and a goal on Sunday.
— With scores against Belleville and Springfield, Riley Tufte is up to 22 goals. Only eight players in the AHL have more goals than he does.
— Providence scored twice in 24 seconds in the last minute of the second period against Belleville.
— Mike DiPietro stopped Belleville’s Lassi Thomson on a penalty shot on Friday.
— The P-Bruins are second in the league on the penalty kill at 85.4 percent.
BAD
— Fabian Lysell’s careless turnover against Belleville led directly to a shorthanded goal for the Senators on Friday night. Lysell has been held without a point in nine of his last 10 games. He didn’t have a shot on goal on either Saturday or Sunday.
— Providence was outshot, 19-5, in the second period in Springfield and gave up three goals, including two in 38 seconds.
— Mike DiPietro, the AHL’s top goalie, had a difficult first period on Sunday, allowing three goals on 12 shots.
— The P-Bruins lost two in a row for the first time this season.
UGLY
— Injured: Simon Zajicek