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Good, bad & ugly from Providence Bruins week

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The P-Bruins celebrate Friday night’s win in Hershey. (Photo courtesy of Providence Bruins)

Any time a team returns from a trip to Hershey and Wilkes-Barre/Scranton with five out of six points, it’s had a good week.

That’s what the Providence Bruins did.

They started with a 3-1 win over the Bears on Wednesday night. They notched a second win in Chocolatetown on Friday night, 4-1. The next night the P-Bruins earned a point, losing to the Penguins in overtime, 2-1.

Here’s the good, bad and ugly.

GOOD

— Providence finished the weekend with a 19-5-1 record and 39 points. Their points percentage of .780 is second in the AHL behind Grand Rapids, which is at .938. They have a game in hand on first-place Wilkes-Barre/Scranton in the Atlantic Division.

— Fabian Lysell took over the team lead in goals with his 11th on Wednesday night.

— Riley Tufte scored twice on the trip and is right behind Lysell with 10 goals.

— Patrick Brown, leading the team 10-17-27, had an assist on Wednesday and three more on Friday.

— Effective at both ends of the ice, Frederic Brunet played some of his best hockey of the season on the trip. He had two assists on Friday night.

— Ty Gallagher scored his first goal of the year on Friday, with a tremendous second effort to poke the puck in after being knocked down.

— Georgii Merkulov scored a goal and made a nice pass to set up a power-play goal by Matt Poitras on Friday.

— Mike DiPietro was outstanding with 37 saves in the 3-1 win in Hershey.

— Simon Zajicek stopped 29 of 30 shots in the win on Friday, then turned away 34 of 36 shots after relieving an injured DiPietro in the OT loss on Saturday.

— Providence’s goal-against average is 2.12, second in the AHL.

— The P-Bruins scored power play goals in all three games. The PP is sixth in the AHL at 24.4 percent.

— With a first-period tally on Wednesday night, Brett Harrison snapped a stretch of 13 games without a goal.

— Odd stat of the week: the number of shots Providence is taking and giving up per game is the same – 29.64

BAD

— Providence gave up a lot of shots on the trip – 38 and 30 against the Bears and 50 against the Penguins.

— The P-Bruins had what would have been the go-ahead goal taken off the board in the third period on Saturday when referee Riley Brace ruled that Pens goalie Johan Blomqvist was interfered with.

— Providence’s road PK is only 18th in the league at 79.5 percent.

UGLY

— Injured: Michael DiPietro, Dalton Bancroft, Max Wanner

Good, bad & ugly from Providence Bruins week

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The Providence Bruins peppered Springfield Thunderbirds goalie Vadim Zherenko with 20 shots in the third period on Sunday, but could not score. (Photo courtesy of Providence Bruins)

The Providence Bruins hit a couple of bumps in the road over the last week, losing two out of three games.

The week started with a 4-1 loss to the Rocket in Laval on Tuesday night. Providence had been on the road for eight days and their fatigue showed.

In Springfield on Saturday, the P-Bruins jumped out to a quick lead, lost the lead, but won in overtime, 4-3, on a Christian Wolanin goal.

Back at the AMP for a rematch with the Thunderbirds on Sunday, Providence lost, 3-1.

“Couple of mistakes and they’re in the back of your net. We let a team (playing) three in three hang around. Their goalie played an exceptional game and they played hard,” said coach Ryan Mougenel.

“I don’t think we did a good job of earning second shots. There were a lot of one-and-dones. It’s a lesson learned, for sure. We’re not a team that can expect (Patrick Brown) to lead us every night. It’s not fair to him. We need other guys stepping up. For the most part, the majority of the guys did.

“I’ve been thinking about (Alex) Steeves a lot, too. You can talk about opportunity, but what are you going to do when you get the opportunity? Alex Steeves made the most of his opportunity. Every time you’re on the ice it’s an opportunity to show that you don’t belong or you do belong here,” he said.

“I thought some guys put it on the line, like (Billy Sweezey). He goes out and fights a guy (Kale Kessy) who gets three shifts, who is a tough customer. He does that because he cares, and that’s what some guys have to understand. Sweezey’s the ultimate teammate. Some guys have to understand that’s part of the gig.”

Here’s the good, bad and ugly.

GOOD

— With a record of 17-5, 34 points and a .773 points percentage, Providence is in second place In the Atlantic Division, a point behind Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, which has played one more game than the P-Bruins.

— The P-Bruins are 14-0 when scoring first.

— Frederic Brunet  was a standout at both ends of the rink on Saturday night.

— Providence killed all five shorthanded situations in their three games.

— Fabian Lysell made a nice pass to set up a goal by Frederic Brunet in Laval and scored his 10th goal of the season in Springfield. He is tied with Patrick Brown for the team lead in goals.

Going into Sunday’s game, Lysell had points in 9 of his last 10 games. His totals in that span were 6-7-13.

— The fourth line of Jake Schmaltz between Joey Abate and Riley Duran continued to provide quality minutes. Schmaltz gave Providence an early lead with a goal from Abate and Duran at 3:55 on Saturday night.

— Dans Locmelis set up Christian Wolanin’s OT goal on Saturday night with a pretty pass.

— The Bruins announced the signing of  Wolanin to a one-year AHL contract on Sunday morning, less than 24 hours after his OT goal in Springfield.

BAD

— Providence hit the crossbar twice and the post once while pouring 20 shots on the Springfield net in the third period on Sunday.

— Springfield scored on two of its first three shots on Sunday against Michael DiPietro.

— The P-Bruins let a two-goal lead slip away on Saturday before they won the game in extra time.

— Providence is 9-1 on the road, but they head out on a tough trip this week with a pair of games in Hershey and one at Wilkes-Barre/Scranton.

UGLY

— After Tuesday night’s game in Laval, the team bus arrived back in Providence at 5:30 a.m. on Wednesday. It was a slippery ride down snowy I-89 through Vermont. — Injured: Max Wanner

Good, bad & ugly from Providence Bruins week

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From left, Ty Gallagher, Jake Schmaltz, Joey Abate, Colin Felix and Riley Duran celebrate Duran’s goal on Sunday. (Photo courtesy of Providence Bruins)

The Providence Bruins spent a very productive few days in Ontario.

First stop was Toronto, where the P-Bruins dominated the Marlies, 5-1, on Wednesday night. Then they moved on to Belleville, and beat the Senators twice, 6-3 and 6-4, on Saturday night and Sunday afternoon.

As of Monday, Providence held down first place in the Atlantic Division and the Eastern Conference with an are-you-kidding-me record of 16-3 and 32 points.

Here’s the good, bad and ugly.

GOOD

— Fabian Lysell had his best week of the season. He scored twice on Wednesday, was credited with two assists on Saturday and finished the weekend with a goal and an assist on Sunday. His second goal in Toronto was the goal of the year for the P-Bruins as he dangled his way to the net before beating the goalie. Turnovers and poor decisions with the puck are still sprinkled throughout Lysell’s game, but they are somewhat easier to overlook when he’s producing offensively the way he has lately. Lysell has 9-9-18 in 16 games. He’s tied with Patrick Brown for the team lead in goals.

— Patrick Brown continued his strong play with a goal and two helpers on Wednesday and a goal on Friday, which was the 100th of his career in the AHL. He leads the team in scoring with 9-12-21 in 19 games.

— Jake Schmaltz scored an empty netter on Saturday, then was a standout on Sunday with 1-3-4. The line of Schmaltz between Riley Duran and Joey Abate was outstanding on Sunday, generating energy and a strong forecheck as well as contributing on the scoresheet.

— Riley Duran and Victor Soderstrom scored their first goals of the season on Sunday in Belleville.

— Matt Poitras finally got some puck luck. He cashed in a rebound for a goal and added two helpers on Saturday and scored an empty-netter on Sunday.

— Jacob Perreault scored twice and added an assist on Saturday.

— Dans Locmelis had a goal and an assist on both Wednesday and Friday. His wrister for Providence’s fifth goal on Friday blew up the water bottle on the Belleville net.

— Georgii Merkulov had his best game of the season in Toronto with a nifty finish for a goal and two pretty assists.

— Frederic Brunet made a nifty backhand pass through seam that resulted in a goal on Saturday and then buried his third goal of the year on Sunday.

— New addition Christian Wolanin chipped in with four assists in Toronto and added two more in the next game in Belleville.

— The power play went five for nine in the three games. It is now ranked fifth in the AHL at 26.3 percent.

— Providence is undefeated on the road at 8-0.

BAD

— The penalty kill allowed three goals on five shorthanded situations in Belleville.

— All’s well that ends well, but Providence allowed Belleville to climb back into both games by giving up goals in the third period.

UGLY

— Injured: Max Wanner

Good, bad & ugly from Providence Bruins weekend

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After faking out Lehigh Valley goalie Aleksei Kolosov, Providence’s Jacob Perreault gets ready to slide the puck into the net for a goal on Friday night. (Photo courtesy of Providence Bruins)

With a depleted lineup, the Providence Bruins split their two home games against quality opponents over the weekend.

On Friday, they beat the Lehigh Valley Phantoms, 3-2. On Saturday, they lost to the Wilkes-Barre/Penguins, 1-0.

“I didn’t like how we came out of our zone at all. Our goalie was outstanding. It’s unfortunate we couldn’t get to the net for him,” said coach Ryan Mougenel after Saturday’s game.

“We’ve got guys that bring it every night. We just need other guys to jump onboard. It can’t always be the (Patrick Browns) and (Billy Sweezeys) of the world. We need some of our depth guys to step up. It’s opportunity for them.

“We’re 15-16 games in, you’ve got to build your brand, your identity, daily. I’m still trying to understand what a couple of our guys are. They’ve just got to figure that part of it out. We’re here to help them get to that identity a little quicker,” he said.

Heading on the road for the better part of the next few weeks could move that process along.

“Still trying to get to know a lot of the guys. We’ve done a good job this year of being a close group. There’s been a lot of new faces here in the last little bit. Messaging is clear, direct: ‘This is what we need from you.’ It’s up to them whether to listen or not listen.”

Here’s the good, bad and ugly.

GOOD

— No one in the AHL has goaltending that matches Providence’s. Simon Zajicek’s .942 save percentage is No. 1 in the league. Mike DiPietro is third with .938. DiPietro deserved a better fate on Saturday. He made a number of 10-bell saves in the 1-0 loss to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton.

— With a13-3 record, Providence finished the weekend in second place in the Atlantic Division and in the league with 26 points. They are one point behind Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, which has played two more games. They have the second-best points percentage in the AHL at .813.

— Billy Sweezey batted a puck out of the crease on Saturday, possibly saving a goal.

— Victor Soderstrom earned primary assists on Providence’s first two goals against Lehigh Valley.

— Christian Wolanin signed a PTO and played his first game for the P-Bruins on Saturday. A Calder Cup champion last season with Abbotsford and winner of the Eddie Shore Trophy as the AHL’s top defenseman in 2022-23, he is potentially an impact addition.

— Jacob Perreault, brought up from the Maine Mariners, showed off the hands that made him a first-round draft pick by the Anaheim Ducks with a highlight-reel breakaway goal on Friday.

— Dan Locmelis is tied for first in the league with two shorthanded goals.

— The P-Bruins are 10-0 when scoring first.

— Riley Duran doesn’t have a goal yet, but he’s been a standout on the penalty kill and the forecheck.

“He’s not getting rewarded on the scoresheet. If he’s going to go up and play, that’s how he’s going to have to play — go through bodies, go through hands. Disrupt,” said Mougenel.

“Use his feet, use his legs. Be light’s out on the PK. He’s bought into that. He’s a great example of when you have an identity, you’ve got to build on it.”

BAD

— NHL callups are a fact of life in the AHL, but losing Mike Callahan, Matej Blumel, Alex Steeves and Riley Tufte to Boston at the same time is piling on.

— Wilkes-Barre/Scranton’s goal on Saturday was scored while the P-Bruins were on the power play.

— The P-Bruins allowed 32 shots against the Phantoms and 35 against the Penguins.

— Who wants to spend American Thanksgiving on the road? Providence won’t have any choice as they’ll be in Canada for the next four games in Toronto, Belleville (2) and Laval.

— Eleven of Providence’s next 13 games are on the road. They are 5-0 on the road so far, so maybe this doesn’t belong in the bad category.

UGLY

— Injured: Fabian Lysell, Ty Gallagher, Max Wanner

Good, bad & ugly from Providence Bruins week

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The puck slides over the goal line in overtime after Fabian Lysell banked it off Hartford’s Connor Mackey (14). (Photo courtesy of Providence Bruins)

The Providence Bruins continued their strong start last week, winning two out of three home games.

They beat the Hartford Wolf Pack in overtime, 3-2, on Wednesday and edged the Utica Comets, 3-2, in extra time on Saturday. On Sunday, the P-Bruins were beaten, 2-0, by an excellent Laval Rocket squad.

“They work extremely hard. We knew that was their identity,” coach Ryan Mougenel said after Sunday’s game.

“We didn’t have enough guys playing at their best. It’s going to happen from time to time, but I think it’s real important that when it’s not going, you’ve got to figure out a way to create.

“For us there’s a recipe for it. It’s playing north, it’s playing straight-line hockey, it’s letting our legs do the talking. I think a lot of us didn’t have our legs today,” he said.

Here’s the good, bad and ugly.

GOOD

— Providence finished the weekend in second place in the Atlantic Division with a 12-2 record and 24 points They are one point behind the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, who have played two more games than the P-Bruins. Providence’s .857 points percentage is second in the AHL.

— Dans Locmelis was a standout against Utica, potting a shorthanded goal in the first period and winning the game in overtime. He had a good game against Laval, too, though he was held without a point.

— Fabian Lysell banked the puck in off a Hartford defender for the winner against the Wolf Pack and dished to Locmelis for the GWG against Utica.

— Simon Zajicek’s .943 save percentage is first in the AHL. Michael DiPietro’s .932 is third.

— Night in, night out, Patrick Brown continues to be the team’s best player. He had a power-play goal and an assist against Hartford and he assisted on Riley Tufte’s goal against Utica.

— Joey Abate scored his first goal of the season against Hartford.

— Wednesday’s OT win wouldn’t have happened if Michael DiPietro hadn’t stopped Brennan Othmann on a clean breakaway shortly before Fabian Lysell’s GWG.

BAD

— The P-Bruins have had only 42 power-play opportunities. That is 29th in the league.

— Providence let a two-goal lead slip away against Utica. And they allowed Hartford to tie the game with 2:20 left in the third period.

— Rookie Loke Johansson’s turnover led to a goal for Hartford on Wednesday night.

UGLY

— Injured: Ty Gallagher, Max Wanner

Good, bad & ugly from Providence Bruins weekend

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A good team is capable of winning even when it doesn’t play all that well.

The Providence Bruins demonstrated that over the weekend. Even after being outplayed at times, they came home from Cleveland with a pair of one-goal victories.

On Friday night, the P-Bruins made a pair of first-period goals stand up in a 2-1 win over the Monsters. On Saturday afternoon, they tied the game in the third period and then won in overtime, 3-2.

As of Monday morning, Providence had a 10-1 record and a .909 points percentage, second-best in the league. They are in first place in the Atlantic Division and in the Eastern Conference.

Here’s the good, bad and ugly.

GOOD

— Michael DiPietro stopped a career-high 42 shots in Friday’s win. He is 6-0 and his .929 save percentage is eighth in the AHL.

— Simon Zajicek improved to 4-1 after kicking out 28 of 30 shots in the victory on Saturday. His .943 save percentage is best in the AHL and his 1.60 goals-against average is second.

— Matt Poitras couldn’t have picked a better time to score his first goal of the season. He converted a picture-perfect pass from Georgii Merkulov from the edge of the blue paint on the power play in OT on Saturday.

— Providence had the puck for the entire 47 seconds of overtime on Saturday before Poitras scored.

— John Farinacci scored in both games in Cleveland, including the GWG on Friday. He has goals in three straight games. He picked the pocket of a Monsters player and fed Schmaltz for a goal on Saturday.

— Jake Schmaltz scored his first goal of the season – a shortie — and added an assist and was plus-two on Saturday.

— With the shots 16-4 in Cleveland’s favor in the first period on Friday, Dans Locmelis scored a shorthanded goal off a good setup from Patrick Brown at the end of a two-on-none rush.

— After being outshot 26-9 through two periods on Saturday, Providence outshot the Monsters 12-4 the rest of the way.

— Providence’s penalty kill was near the bottom of the league a couple of weeks ago, but has now moved up to 12th at 82.4 percent. They scored a shorthanded goal in both games in Cleveland.

— The season’s only a month old, but Joey Abate threw one of the best hits so far when he blew up Mikael Pyyhtia midway through the third period on Saturday.

— Billy Sweezey pounded out a win over Max McCue in a bout on Friday.

BAD

— There was no call on Roman Ahcan’s high hit that injured Victor Soderstrom on Friday.

— The P-Bruins were outshot 8-0 in the first eight minutes and 20-7 in the first half of Saturday’s game.

— Scheduling a 1 p.m. puck drop on Saturday following a 6 p.m. game on Friday isn’t conducive to good hockey.

UGLY

— Injured: Victor Soderstrom, Max Wanner, Ty Gallagher

Good, bad & ugly from Providence Bruins week

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Matthew Poitras drops the gloves with Charlotte’s Jack Devine on Sunday. (Photo courtesy of Providence Bruins)

Nothing lasts forever. Especially winning streaks.

The Providence Bruins’ franchise-record seven-game winning streak to start the season bit the dust on Saturday night, but even so it was a good week for the team as they sandwiched wins against two of the Atlantic Division’s stronger teams around the one loss.

The week started on Wednesday night with a 3-1 road win against the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Penguins, who were unbeaten at 7-0 going into the game. Providence’s win streak went down in flames on Saturday in a lackluster 2-0 home loss to the Hershey Bears. The P-Bruins bounced back on Sunday at the AMP with a 5-2 victory over the Charlotte Checkers.

“They’re a really good team. They’re really fast. Their forecheck is really heavy,” coach Ryan Mougenel said of Charlotte. “I thought the guys did a really good job of responding. I had to get on them a little bit in the first just because guys were trying hard and sometimes when you’re trying too hard you make some mistakes.”

Here’s the good, bad and ugly.

GOOD

— With a record of 8-1 and 16 of a possible 18 points, Providence’s points percentage is an AHL-best .889.

— Riley Tufte scored a goal on Wednesday, then added two more plus an assist on Sunday. As of Monday morning, he was tied for the lead in points in the AHL with 14 (7 goals, 7 assists) in 9 games. His plus-12 is first in the league. “When he goes to the net, he’s a presence,” said Mougenel.

— Patrick Brown had two assists against the Penguins and a goal and an assist against the Checkers. He is in the top 10 in scoring with 5-7-12 in 9 games and is plus-10.

— Fabian Lysell scored a pretty goal on Sunday, using his speed to beat the defense and then finishing on the backhand. After hitting a bump against Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, Lysell responded with two good games in a row.

— Matt Poitras had his first fighting major as a pro on Sunday, taking on Jack Devine in a quick bout. Late in the game Lysell was ready to throw down with Riese Gaber. “Potsy, I’m shocked that it’s his first one because he seems to be in the middle of a lot of stuff,” said Mougenel. “It’s good to get it out of the way. It’s not something I want to see Potsy or Fabian doing on a regular basis but it shows passion and it shows that they care and sometimes you’ve got to stick up for yourself. I’m a big believer in that and it’s good to see.”

— Colin Felix had a fight on Saturday, two assists on Sunday and continues to defend well. If there’s a scrum, odds are he’s in the middle of it. “I like everything about Colin. I like the person. I like the kid. I like that he’s got tons of gratitude. He wants to be here. He’s bounced up and down. He’s had not the easiest path in pro hockey and he’s always kind of found a way. I root for kids like that,” said Mougenel.

— After going five games without a point, Alex Steeves recorded two assists on Sunday.

— John Farinacci scored his first goal of the year on Sunday.

— Simon Zajicek continued his strong start, kicking out 27 of 28 shots and keeping the score close against Hershey. He has a .945 save percentage and 1.51 goals-against average.

— Michael DiPietro stopped 25 of 26 on Wednesday and 21 of 23 on Sunday. He is 5-0 with a .914 save percentage and 2.40 goals-against average.

— The P-Bruins have been shorthanded only 26 times in 9 games. That’s 27th in the league.

— Providence is tied for the league lead in goals with 36.

BAD

— Fabian Lysell’s turnover led to the only goal by Wilkes-Barre/Scranton on Wednesday. That was Lysell’s last shift in the game, as he was benched for the final 25-plus minutes. “Sometimes you’ve got to get their attention,” said Mougenel. “That’s all that was, just a little bit of a reset, get his game back on track.”

— John Farinacci and Victor Soderstrom combined for a turnover that led to Charlotte’s second goal on Sunday.

— The power play went 0 for 6 in the three games.

— Not for the first time, referee Morgan MacPhee made some head-scratching calls – against both teams – on Saturday.

UGLY

— It was after 3 a.m. on Thursday when the team bus arrived back at the AMP from Wilkes-Barre/Scranton.

Good, bad & ugly from Providence Bruins weekend

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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.

Good, bad & ugly from Providence Bruins weekend

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The puck slides into the net behind Hartford goalie Talyn Boyko after Providence’s Billy Sweezey (6) bulled his way to the net. It was Sweezey’s first goal of the year. (Photo courtesy of Providence Bruins)

The Providence Bruins have had some sluggish starts in recent years, but not this season.

They won both their games over the weekend, improving their record to 4-0.

The P-Bruins started with a 5-3 road victory over the Bridgeport Islanders on Friday night. At home on Saturday, they beat the Hartford Wolf Pack, 5-2.

“I think we had a great camp,” coach Ryan Mougenel said of the fast start. “Everybody had a hand in it, from the (Joey) Abates to some of the guys that are even in Maine. It just started off on the right foot. The compete level was evident from day one.

“We’ve been talking about how important the start is. This is probably the first year we got off to the start we really wanted, playing good winning hockey early on. The goaltending’s been awesome.”

In both weekend games, Providence was able to grab the lead and extend it.

“We talked about creating doubt tonight and how important that is. The way you create doubt is by sticking to our structure. Offensive players are going to find ways to create ice and create space for each other and that’s what our offensive guys did. They made a lot of pretty special plays. I liked that we understood the momentum swings.”

Here’s the good, bad and ugly.

GOOD

— The power play was on fire on Friday, clicking on three of six chances. It took Providence only five seconds to score on one of the power plays. After an offensive zone faceoff, all five Providence skaters touched the puck before Alex Steeves put it in the net. It went from Matt Poitras to Victor Soderstrom to Matej Blumel to Georgii Merkulov and then to Steeves. The PP has a 37.5 percent success rate, third-best in the AHL.

— Four of the top 10 scorers in the league are Bruins: Georgii Merkulov, Fabian Lysell, Alex Steeves and Matej Blumel.

—  Riley Tufte  scored twice and added an assist in Bridgeport, then chipped in with a goal and an assist against Hartford.

— Patrick Brown had a goal and an assist on Friday and two assists on Saturday.

— Georgii Merkulov recorded two assists against Bridgeport and a goal against Hartford. With 186 points, he is now tied for second all-time with Sergei Zholtok in points with the P-Bruins.

— Dans Locmelis, Jonathan Aspirot and Billy Sweezey scored their first goals of the season over the weekend.

— Blumel had two assists against the Islanders and one against the Wolf Pack.

— Mike DiPietro made 27 saves on 30 shots against Bridgeport. Simon Zajicek stopped 31 of 33 shots against Hartford.

— The P-Bruins are one of seven teams that has not lost a game.

BAD

— A turnover behind the net by Michael DiPietro handed Bridgeport a goal in the first period on Friday.

— The P-Bruins gave up two goals on the penalty kill against the Islanders. The PK is at 76.9 percent, which is 19th in the league.

UGLY

— For the second straight week, there’s no ugly.

Good, bad & ugly from Providence Bruins weekend

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Frederic Brunet is all smiles after his goal in Bridgeport (Photo courtesy of Providence Bruins).

The Providence Bruins opened the 2025-26 season with a pair of wins, one on the road and one at home.

On Saturday night, they rallied from two goals down to beat the Bridgeport Islanders, 3-2, in Connecticut.

In the home opener on Sunday, the P-Bruins trailed, 3-2, before exploding for four straight goals on the way to a 6-3 victory in front of 9,093 fans.

“The guys stuck to their identify,” coach Ryan Mougenel said after Sunday’s game. “There were definitely moments where we were bending. We didn’t necessarily break. That’s to be expected early on in the season, kind of building in those habits that protect you. We did a good job of it.”

Here’s the good, bad and ugly.

GOOD

— With a hat trick and a primary assist, Fabian Lysell played his best game ever in a Providence uniform on Sunday. All three of the goals were different. The first was on a breakaway; he went to the edge of the crease for the second; and the third came off the rush. He was plus-four for the day.

“It’s good to see Fabian watch a couple of pucks go in the net. For offensive guys it’s always good that they can see the puck go in and start building that confidence. It’s a big part of the game, obviously, feeling good and playing good,” said Mougenel.

“The big thing for us is we want guys’ games in a really good place when they go up. It’s not always necessarily the stat sheet. It’s the wall play, stick details. Those are the things that give you protection and longevity in the NHL and those are the habits we’re trying to build into a lot of our young players like Fabian. Sometimes it takes time.

“I liked that he shot the puck tonight. My favorite goal was the second goal. He went to the net and that’s what happens when you go to the net. He got rewarded.”

— Alex Steeves had a goal and three assists and was plus-four against Charlotte.

— Matt Poitras recorded four assists and was plus-four on Sunday.

— Georgii Merkulov was brilliant on Saturday with a goal and two helpers.

— Matej Blumel, doing what he does best, scored goals in both games.

— After a rough start, Simon Zajicek locked it down and stopped 23 shots in Saturday’s win. His best stop came with seven minutes left, a 10-bell save on Joey Larson that kept the score at 2-2. It was Zajicek’s first win in the American Hockey League.

— All three of Providence’s goals against the Islanders were of the highlight-reel variety

First, Merkulov showed off his quick, slick hands to score from close range. On the second goal, Merkulov started the play and then Victor Soderstrom made a perfect pass to Frederic Brunet, who buried it. In overtime, the puck went from Brunet to Merkulov to Blumel, who ripped home a one-timer for the win.

— They held Bridgeport to just one shot in the third period.

— Patrick Brown scored a goal and had seven shots on Sunday.

— Michael DiPietro stopped 34 shots against Charlotte.

— Good start for the power play, which went three of six on the weekend.

BAD

Providence allowed two goals in just under two minutes in the first period in Bridgeport. The D pairing of Jonathan Aspirot and Ty Gallagher was on for both goals.

— Hate to start the year dumping on a referee, but I have to call it like I see it: The holding penalty on Victor Soderstrom at the start of the second period in Bridgeport was not referee Chad Ingalls’ best moment.

— The P-Bruins allowed a goal with 32 seconds left in the first period.

UGLY

— Nothing ugly to report at this time. Check back next week.