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