What a difference a win makes.

Losers of five of their first six games, the Providence Bruins put some goals on the board and posted a feel-good 6-1 victory on Sunday in Hershey, one of the most difficult places to win in the AHL.

After losing to the Bears, 5-3, on Saturday night, Providence was ready from the drop of the puck on Sunday. They took advantage of their chances, grabbed the lead and extended it while limiting Hershey’s opportunities.

Mikey Eyssimont was the star of the weekend. He scored a goal on Saturday and then potted three more on Sunday for his second hat trick in eight days. He hit the post in the third period or he would have had four goals.

At 2-5, the P-Bruins finished the weekend in last place in the Atlantic Division but with 65 games left there’s plenty of time to move up in the standings.

Here’s the good, bad and ugly. 

GOOD

— Eyssimont finished the weekend with 7-1-8 in 4 games. He is tied for the AHL lead in goals.

— Jiri Patera delivered a rock-solid 27-save performance and allowed only one goal in Sunday’s win. It was exactly what his team needed.

— The puck finally started going in for the P-Bruins as they scored nine times in two games in Hershey.

— Henri Jokiharju turned in a strong game on Saturday with two goals on seven shots.

— Dans Locmelis assisted on two goals on Saturday and was plus-two in both games.

— After going six games without a goal, Brian Halonen broke through with a goal and two helpers on Sunday. If Providence is to make any noise this season, they need Halonen to produce like he did on Sunday.

— Tobie Paquette-Bisson had two assists and was plus-four on Sunday.

— Jordan Harris posted two assists and was plus-three on Sunday.

— Brendan Gaunce scored a goal on Sunday and continues to play a strong two-way game.

— Lukas Reichel has points in four straight games.

— Jake Schmaltz scored his first goal of the season on Sunday on a smart setup by Ryan Tattle.

— For the first time this season, the P-Bruins on Sunday scored the first goal of the game.

BAD

— After scoring twice in 17 seconds to erase a two-goal hole on Saturday, Providence gave up a goal 69 seconds after tying it and the game went down the tubes.

UGLY

— Though Providence potted a power play goal on Sunday, they are second to last in the league with the man advantage at 6.3 percent — 2 for 32.

— Injured: Joey Abate, Max Wanner

Providence’s Navrin Mutter and Hartford’s Justin Nachbaur had a lively scrap on Friday. (Photo courtesy of Providence Bruins)

When the American Hockey League schedule came out last summer, it looked like the Providence Bruins might be able to make some hay early with five straight home games to open the season.

Nope.

Providence has won only one of its first five. They lost two out of three over the weekend.

On Friday, they fell 2-0 to the Hartford Wolfpack. They beat the Charlotte Checkers, 6-2, on Saturday. They lost to the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, 6-2, on Sunday.

“We’ve got to find some more guys to step up. Guys …  who want to have a full-time spot in our lineup. We need more energy. We need more grit,” Whitfield said after Sunday’s game.

Even at 1-4, they aren’t in last place in the Atlantic Division. The winless Lehigh Valley Phantoms occupy the basement.

Here’s the good, bad and ugly.

GOOD

— Simon Zajicek was credited with a goal in the dying minutes on Saturday when a Charlotte centering pass from behind the Bruins net rolled 190 or so feet down the ice and into the Checkers’ empty net. It was the first goalie goal in P-Bruins history.

— Whitfield earned his first win as head coach on Saturday.

— New arrival Mikey Eyssimont pumped some life into the offense with a hat trick in Saturday’s win.

— Navrin Mutter made an unselfish play to make Eyssimont’s hat trick happen on Saturday. On Friday he had a good fight against Hartford’s Justin Nachbaur.

— Next up for Providence is a two-game weekend in Hershey. That’s usually the last thing a struggling team needs, but in this case going on the road looks like a positive.

BAD

— The offense has been a problem, to say the least.

Providence went six-plus scoreless periods before finally breaking through on Saturday.

They’ve been shutout twice. They have scored 9 goals in 5 games and 6 of the goals came in one game.

— After a solid win on Saturday, the P-Bruins gave up a goal to the Penguins 1:57 into Sunday’s game.

— Providence hasn’t scored first in any of its five games.

— Worst plus-minuses: Dans Locmelis, minus-5 ; Lukas Reichel, Brian Halonen, Loke Johansson, minus-4

— Announced attendance was 3,761 on Friday, 4,478 on Saturday, and 4,404 on Sunday.

UGLY

— Providence leads the league in losses with four.

— The power play is 1 for 23. That’s a success rate, if you can call it that, of 4.3 percent.

— Injured: Max Wanner

The P-Bruins unveiled a pair of banners at Friday’s home opener. (Photo courtesy of Providence Bruins)

It was a lost weekend for the Providence Bruins.

The defending Atlantic Division champions dropped their opener, 2-1, to the Utica Comets on Friday and lost to Springfield Thunderbirds, 2-0, on Sunday. Both games were at home.

As the scores demonstrate, lack of offense was a problem.

“With the talent that we have here, to only score one goal in two games, it’s not good enough,” coach Trent Whitfield said on Sunday.

“We’re going to have to get to work this week and start scoring some goals. We’ve got to start getting some guys on the inside. We’re just being a little too cute. Skating around the outside, it looks good but we’re not really accomplishing a lot.

“We’ve got to get to the dirty areas, the trenches. We don’t have enough guys doing that right now.”

Back for another season, here’s the good, bad and ugly.

GOOD

— Brendan Gaunce, assisted by Ivan Ivan and Joey Abate, scored his team’s only goal all weekend and Gaunce led the way with a total of seven shots on goal in the two games.

— Challenges for offside are allowed under AHL rules this year and Providence won its first challenge on Friday, wiping out a goal by former Bruin Riley Tufte in the third period. Tufte joked after the game that such a challenge would have come in handy in Game 3 in Springfield in May, when the P-Bruins were the victims of a blown offside no-call on a Thunderbirds goal in overtime.

— Jiri Patera (22 saves on 24 shots on Friday) and Simon Zajicek (20 saves on 21 shots on Sunday) were solid in the net.

— Only allowing only four goals in two games, one of which was an empty netter, is a good start.

BAD

— Providence scored one goal on 45 shots in the two games.

— The P-Bruins went 0 for 8 on the power play.

— Providence will play its first three-in-three of the year next weekend.

UGLY

— Injured: Max Wanner