BUFFALO — All things considered, Friday was a good day for the Bruins much-maligned prospect pool.

Boston’s rookies outplayed the Pittsburgh Penguins’ youngsters and came away with a solid 4-2 victory on the first day of the Prospects Challenge as Luke Toporowski and Brett Harrison scored two goals each. (It would have been 4-1 if the referees hadn’t somehow missed the most obvious example of goalie interference you’re ever going to see on Pitt’s second goal.)

OK, like the Bruins, the Penguins kids don’t get much respect from the prospects gurus, but I’m giving credit where it’s due. The Bruins – from free agent goalie William Rousseau (19 saves) on out — were good.

“I loved the compete on some of the younger guys,” said coach Ryan Mougenel.

Here are three quick hits from Day One in Buffalo:

BRETT HARRISON

The 20-year-old Harrison, playing left wing on a line centered by Matthew Poitras, was around the puck all day. He scored on a redirection of a Poitras pass in the first period and smoked a one-timer off a Frederic Brunet pass for a power play goal in the third period.

“I love to shoot the puck. A shot on net is always a good play, whether you score a goal or it creates a rebound, but if the shot’s not there, I can make the right play to my teammates,” said Harrison.

He made a good dish to Poitras off the wall in the Penguins zone for a Grade A opportunity in the second period.

“He did a lot of great things,” said Mougenel. “The one thing with Harry is he sees the power play very well and he’s had a lot of success on the power play, especially in junior. We’re going to count on him to provide offense five on five (in Providence). Getting inside and completing plays, those are things he’s got to work on.”

LUKE TOPOROWSKI

Toporowski, a shoot-first left winger, scored twice in the Prospects Challenge opener a year ago and he did it again on Friday while playing on a line with Georgii Merkulov and Fabian Lysell.

He opened the scoring 37 seconds into the game and potted a goal off a perfect pass from Merkulov in the second period after a slick offensive zone entry by Lysell.

“That’s what you get when you play with (Merkulov),” Toporowski said.

He started strong in Providence last season while playing on an AHL contract, but went down with a knee injury in January.

“During the injury, I just tried to stay positive and remind myself that I can pick up where I left off,” he said.

He spent a lot of time during his rehab working on his shot with teammate Vinni Lettieri at Rhode Island’s Top-Shelf Off-Ice, which is owned by Rodney Millette.

“Vinni was a great mentor for me. He’s been through it,” Toporowski said.

Once Toporowski, 22, returned to the lineup, he scored in his first two games.

Boston signed him to an NHL deal over the summer.

“It was reassuring that the Bruins still believed in me even though I had that injury,” he said.

Mougenel calls Toporowski a student of the game.

“There’s something to be said for identifying players like that who have a thirst to get better. I think our scouting staff has done a great job of finding players like that,” he said.

MATTHEW POITRAS

Poitras, a shifty center with a high hockey IQ, made plays all day long on Friday. He got on the score sheet with an assist on Harrison’s goal in the first period.

“I was really impressed not just with his play with the puck. It’s a little bit of a coaching cliché – how good he is away from the puck. He’s got great vision. He completes a lot of plays, has tons of courage. I think he’s going to be a very good player,” said Mougenel.

Poitras, 19, took a couple of big hits and dished one out, too. While he’s not expected to make the big club out of training camp this year, he’s a player who is on track to earn an NHL job before too long.

QUOTE OF THE DAY

Mougenel on his message to prospects:

“You want people saying the right things about you. There’s limited viewings of players at times, especially with all the brass. If you can leave a really strong impression, especially going into camp, that’s really important. I stress to them that every time you get an opportunity to build your brand, it’s important that you play the right way. It might be something as small as hunting the puck on the backcheck. Maybe (Don Sweeney or Jim Montgomery) sees that and he takes a shine to you. Sometimes that (gets overlooked) when talk about goals and assists.”

Wilkes-Barre Scranton goalie Tyler Gauthier was halfway to Olneyville after Fabian Lysell faked him out and deposited the puck in the net in a February shootout. (Photo courtesy of Providence Bruins)

I’ll be at the Prospects Challenge in Buffalo again this year. It’s one of my favorite events on the hockey calender. Here are five Boston prospects that I’ll be taking an up-close look at.

FABIAN LYSELL

Coming off an up-and-down rookie year in Providence, Lysell says he is fully recovered from a concussion that knocked him out of the AHL playoffs in May. It’s a good sign that in dealing with the media on Wednesday, he appeared to be more confident and comfortable than he was at times last season. No Boston prospect can match his combination of speed and skill. A strong showing at the Prospects Challenge should give him a lift heading into Boston’s training camp.

MATTHEW POITRAS

Poitras, 19, was a pleasant surprise in Buffalo a year ago. Though his chances of making the NHL team this year look to be slim, he’s approaching training camp the right way. “I’m gonna try and do my best to make it hard to send me back to juniors,” he said on Wednesday. If Poitras, a second round draft pick, does return to the OHL, another big year in Guelph and maybe a trip to the World Juniors with Canada’s team should set him up to turn pro in 2024.

LUKE TOPOROWSKI

Toporowski, signed as a free agent in 2022, plays the right way. He has a quick release and a hard shot, which he uses at every opportunity. He’ll be looking to build on a strong rookie year in Providence, as he finished with 15 goals in 47 games and would have scored over 20 if not for a midseason knee injury. After playing on an AHL contract last season, he was rewarded with a well-deserved NHL deal over the summer, so he’ll be eligible for an NHL callup this season.

BRETT HARRISON

Harrison, picked in the third round, can really wire the puck and is very dangerous from the tops of the faceoff circles in. Whether his skating measures up is a question heading into his first pro season in Providence. A strong showing in Buffalo would be a confidence-builder.

FREDERIC BRUNET

Brunet, an offensive defenseman drafted in the fifth round, was in over his head a bit in Buffalo a year ago. I’m curious to see how he looks this time around now that he’s a year older. He had a big year in the QMJHL last year and made a splash in his only game in Providence near the end of the season. All signs point to him turning pro, but he hasn’t signed either an AHL or NHL contract yet.

Boston College’s Trevor Kuntar celebrates a goal against Boston University in the Beanpot in February. (Photo courtesy of Boston College Athletics).

Boston Bruins prospect Trevor Kuntar attended the Prospects Challenge in Buffalo several times while growing up in nearby Williamsville, N.Y.

Starting Friday, he’ll get the opportunity to play in it.

A third-round draft pick in 2020 who turned pro in March after three seasons at Boston College, the 22-year-old Kuntar is raring to go.

“I’m super excited about it, obviously just wearing the Bruins jersey for the first time. I’m going to have a lot of family and friends there. Some of my little cousins are coming. It should be super fun. I’m excited to have my parents be there. It will be cool to be playing in it,” he said.

Kuntar’s father, Les, played six games in goal for the Montreal Canadiens in 1993-94. Trevor was on the cusp of making his pro debut with the Providence Bruins last spring when doctors determined that he needed triceps surgery. 

“I thought it was going to be something minor, out two to three weeks. It turned out to be a lot bigger,” he said.

He’s been in Boston all summer doing his rehab and was cleared to get back on the ice four to six weeks ago.

“I’m really starting to feel back to normal. My strength is equal on both sides now. I’m feeling good,” said Kuntar, who scored 13 goals and 29 points in 34 games for BC last season.

He needs two classes to finish his BC degree. He plans to take one class this fall and another next spring so he can graduate with his class in 2024.

Being around Bruins players such as Brad Marchand and Charlie Coyle while rehabbing and training at Warrior Arena this summer has been a positive.

“Those guys have been here pretty much the whole time I’ve been here, so it’s been really cool to kind of get to know them and learn from them. I’ve just been trying to take in as much information as possible and learn as much as possible.

“Seeing how those guys, who have already made it and are very successful in the NHL, seeing how hard they work, is obviously some really good motivation. It helps me work harder so I can get to that point eventually. It’s just really cool to be around those guys,” said Kuntar, who figures to play in Providence this season.

Kuntar is comfortable both at center and on the wing. “I don’t really have a preference. I do like taking faceoffs,” he said.

“The speed, every level you play, gets a little faster. That will probably be the biggest adjustment. I’m curious to see what the competition is compared to college.

“It was really nice being here over the summer because I was able to get a little taste of that, skating with pro guys and being around that. I’m excited to compete and fight for an opportunity and just see how it goes.”

For starters, speed, skill up front

Don’t know what the lines will be in the first game against the Penguins but when the Bruins ran through a couple of drills early in Wednesday’s first practice, these two trios caught my eye: Luke Toporowski-Georgii Merkulov-Fabian Lysell and Trevor Kuntar-Johnny Beecher-John Farinacci.

We’ll see what Friday brings.

Mougenel: Merkulov bought in

The high point of Georgii Merkulov’s summer was a visit from his mother, who he hadn’t seen in two years.

The Russian center, entering his second full season as a pro, is looking forward to getting going in Buffalo.

“It’s good to play some games before training camp,” he said.

With the parent club in need of centers, a strong training camp could put Merkulov in position to get an extended look.

Mougenel was upbeat about Merkulov’s progress during his rookie season.

“Maturity is a huge thing with Merk. His personality is kind of stoic. He doesn’t really give you much. He was stubborn, I would say, early on (last season). I’d say his attributes obviously that separates him a little bit is his offensive mind. He’s a pretty clean player. Sees the ice extremely well. Can make plays on his forehand, his backhand and really has an ability to complete a lot of plays. When we lost some of our go-to guys, our older players – (Vinni) Lettieri was out 25-30 games last year – Merkulov really stepped up and really was our offensive guy,” he said.

“His ability to buy in was something that we were questioning at first and I think everybody had those questions. They obviously see the skill and the ability but is he willing to do it. For us, we were extremely pleased with his willingness.”

Playing in the D zone “is something we preach. It’s a little bit of a separator for us with the Bruins. It’s funny how, in the summer, how many coaches you talk to talk about our D zone and how it translates. Merkulov is a player that you have to give him a ‘why’ all the time. He’s super inquisitive. The ‘why’ with Merk was we want to be in and out of our D zone. We want your energy for offense. There’s a certain way of selling it and a certain way to buy in, and he bought in. His offense was really attributed to how well he defended, to be honest with you, as crazy as that sounds,” Mougenel said.

Beecher looking to make a splash

First rounder John Beecher is another young center the parent club would love to see stake a claim on an NHL job as soon as possible.

Beecher said he spent about three weeks training this summer at the National Team Development Program’s facility in Michigan, then worked out in Boston for the last two months.

The vacancies at center are “definitely something that you look at. It’s enticing. Obviously everybody coming into camp wants to have a shot. This year there’s a bunch of opportunities, so just got to go into camp and show my best.”

Mougenel talked about the progress Beecher made over the course of last season.

“He’s not the only player to come down to Providence and – I wouldn’t necessarily say struggle, but maybe have a little bit of an identity issue early on. By the second half he was our go-to guy for a lot of situations. His skating obviously separates him from most of his peers down there. The ability to hang onto a puck and get in and be first on pucks is something he did really well,” he said.

“The one thing we really liked about John by the end of the year was his willingness to play a physical brand of hockey. It took time. In the American Hockey League you have to have patience for players, especially a bigger player, to figure that out. John did an amazing job of that.”

An entertaining and productive season for the Providence Bruins crashed and burned in the first round against the Hartford Wolf Pack.

After finishing at the top of the Atlantic Division and the Eastern Conference in the regular season, the P-Bruins fell behind, two games to none, at home in the first two games of the playoffs and couldn’t dig their way out of the hole.

They played their best game of the series on Wednesday in Hartford and earned a 6-3 win, but they were outplayed in a 4-0 loss on Friday and lost the series, three games to one.

Season over.

“Disappointing for sure. You look back at the two home games, that’s probably the most disappointing. When you punted the first two games of the series it’s tough to claw your way back in,” coach Ryan Mougenel said after Friday’s loss.

“A lot of good lessons for all of us as a staff, and obviously for some young players – how tough it is in the playoffs and what you have to do to win. Hartford did a real good job of showing us what it takes to win. We weren’t willing to do what they were willing to do.”

Despite finishing first, Providence wasn’t the same team after a 12-day layoff between the end of the regular season and their first playoff game. Hartford deserved the win.

“(The Wolf Pack) did a real good job of limiting our time and space and swarming us,” said Mougenel. “They were on top and us and they were above us. One way for us to nullify that is to play behind them. We had some players that were pretty stubborn in doing it. They learned pretty quickly that Harlem Globetrotter hockey doesn’t win in the playoffs.”

For the final time this season, here’s the good, bad and ugly.

GOOD

— Brandon Bussi was Providence’s best player in the final two games and throughout the series, making some outstanding saves.

He committed highway robbery, as Johnny Pierson used to say on TV38, on Lauri Pajuniemi with the P-Bruins ahead by a goal late in the third period on Wednesday. It was one of the best stops of this or any season.

Pajuniemi had cut Providence’s lead to 4-3 with a goal at 13:34. Shortly after, when there was a stop in play and Bussi came to the bench, he told his teammates, “That’s one’s on me, boys. They aren’t getting any more.”

His next save was the incredible glove save as Pajuniemi bid for the tying tally.

Bussi had a fabulous rookie season. His battle level is elite – he never gives up on the puck.

— Justin Brazeau scored twice and had seven shots on goal in Wednesday’s win.

— Luke Toporowski gave Providence a three-goal cushion on Wednesday as he scored a pretty power play goal on an individual rush and finish in the second period on Wednesday

— Jack Ahcan’s unassisted breakaway goal in the third period of Wednesday’s win increased Providence’s lead to 4-2. It gave his team some breathing room and ended up as the game-winning goal. He earned an assist on Luke Toporowski’s power play goal earlier in the game.

— Joona Koppanen’s not a fighter but credit to him for immediately going after Adam Clendening after the Hartford defenseman’s dirty hit on Fabian Lysell.

— Josiah Didier had two assists on Wednesday.

BAD

— You never want to see a player wheeled off on a stretcher as Mike Callahan was nine seconds into the third period on Friday. Fortunately, Callahan was up and walking around after the game. Will Lockwood of the Wolf Pack received a five-minute penalty for boarding and a game misconduct on the play.

— Providence didn’t put nearly enough heat on Hartford goalie Dylan Garand. The P-Bruins were shut out twice in four games. Six of the seven goals they scored in the series came in Game 3 and two of them were empty netters.

— The P-Bruins have scored nine goals in their last six playoff games.

UGLY

— Adam Clendening of Hartford was suspended for his hit that concussed Fabian Lysell. Ryan Moungenal was on the money when he called the hit “predatory and cowardly.”

— Injured: Marc McLaughlin, Fabian Lysell, Jakub Lauko, Trevor Kuntar

Though he’s not a fighter, Providence’s Joona Koppanen (45) didn’t hesitate in going after Adam Clendening (5), who threw a dirty, dangerous hit on Fabian Lysell. Koppanen went right at Clendening.

Luke Toporowski barrels to the net past Hartford’s Zac Jones on Friday. Toporowski scored Providence’s only goal of the weekend on Saturday. (Photo courtesy of Providence Bruins)

The Providence Bruins dug themselves a hole in their two playoff games this weekend. As a result, their season will be on the line Wednesday night in Hartford.

Because they finished first in the Atlantic Division, the P-Bruins earned a bye in the opening round of the Calder Cup playoffs. In hindsight, that didn’t help them.

After 12 days between games, Providence wasn’t sharp and was outplayed by the Hartford Wolf Pack in a 1-0 loss in Game 1 of their best-of-five Atlantic Division semifinal at home on Friday. The P-Bruins were better on Saturday, but lost, 2-1.

Now the series moves to Connecticut for a win-or-go-home game on Wednesday. The fourth game, if necessary, will be at the XL Center on Friday.

“Definitely a much better willingness to play the right way (than in Game 1), but not enough, obviously,” coach Ryan Mougenel said after Saturday’s loss. “We need everybody going and I don’t know if we had everybody going. But there were some real good things we can build off of and build some momentum and that’s what we’ve got to do now.”

Providence is certainly capable of winning on the road. In fact, they were better on the road than at home during the regular season with a record of 24-9-3 for a .708 points percentage, second in the league behind Calgary’s .750.

“I think it says a lot about our team, a team that can play well on the road. The one thing we’ve had, we’ve had great bounce back. It says a lot about the guys in the room. There’s guys with tons of pride. They don’t want their season to end, they want to extend it,” Mougenel said.

“Kudos to Hartford. They’re doing a good job playing above us and that’s testament that they know we’re fast. We have to do a better job playing behind them, creating anxiety with our feet. You just can’t have three or four guys, we’ve got to do it by committee. We’ve got strong belief and that’s what it’s about.”

Here’s the good, bad and ugly.

GOOD

— Brandon Bussi played very well in both games, stopping 57 of 60 shots. He denied Tanner Fritz twice on shorthanded breakaways on Friday. “I just wish we could give him some run support,” said Mougenel.

— Luke Toporowski scored Providence’s only goal of the weekend, a bar-down rip on his former Kamloops teammate Dylan Garand on Saturday night. He posted a team-high total of six shots in the two games.

— The penalty kill was a perfect 5 for 5 on Friday and Saturday.

— Mike Callahan came to Brandon Bussi’s defense and fought 6-foot-6 Tim Gettinger after Gettinger ran over Bussi.

BAD

— The power play went 0 for 4 in the two games.

UGLY

— Providence had only 14 shots in Friday night’s 1-0 loss. Hartford’s Dylan Garand will never have an easier shutout.

— One goal in two games is not going to take you far in the postseason or any other time.

— Going back to last season, in Providence’s last four playoff games, in 264:39 of play, they’ve scored only three goals.

— Injured: Trevor Kuntar

Brandon Bussi hugs winning goalie Kyle Keyser (38) after Sunday’s game. (Photo courtesy of Providence Bruins)

The last weekend of the regular season ended on a high note for the Providence Bruins as they clinched first place in the Atlantic Division in the final period of the final game on Sunday.

The P-Bruins started their three-in-three weekend with a lackluster 7-2 loss to the Springfield Thunderbirds on the road on Friday night. They responded in a big way on Saturday at home against the Bridgeport Islanders. Providence trailed 3-1 in the second period before rallying for a 5-3 victory.

Saturday’s win put Providence in position to jump over the Hershey Bears and into first place by beating Springfield at the AMP on Sunday, which they did.

The P-Bruins took an early lead, but the game was knotted at three after two periods.

Before the last period, coach Ryan Mougenel told his team, “We’ve got 20 minutes to just outcompete them and execute and we can put a banner in the stands and you guys can all be a part of that. That’s a pretty special thing to do as a group.”

In the third period, they exploded for four goals and won going away, 7-3.

Here’s the good, bad and ugly.

GOOD

— Providence finished first in the Atlantic Division and in the Eastern Conference with a record of 44-18-8-2. It’s their third Atlantic Division title in the last four years. They have a bye in the opening round of the Calder Cup playoffs.

— The P-Bruins outscored Bridgeport and Springfield by a combined 7-0 in the third period.

— Jack Ahcan had an epic third period on Sunday. He went top shelf for a shorthanded goal that turned out to be the game-winner and added an assist on Marc McLaughlin’s insurance goal. For the weekend, he had 1-4-5 and was plus-eight.

— Chris Wagner had a great weekend. He scored a shorthanded goal on Friday, then scored twice and added an assist on Sunday and was plus-four. He finished with a career-high 19 goals.

— Vinni Lettieri has 8-9-17 in his last 10 games. He put up 23-25-49 in 48 games.

— Eduards Tralmaks had his best weekend of the season and it’s probably not a coincidence that it happened after Ryan Mougenel reunited the 664-pound line of Tralmaks, Joona Koppanen and Justin Brazeau. Tralmaks scored the game-winner from Koppanen and Brazeau on Saturday. The line combined for five points on Sunday, including a goal and an assist by Tralmaks.

— Georgii Merkulov led the team in scoring with 24-31-55 in 67 games. He finished second in the AHL in rookie scoring.

— Connor Carrick’s plus-15 is the best on the team. Dan Renouf is second with plus-10.

— Rookie defenseman Frederic Brunet was impressive in his pro debut on Saturday. He assisted on two goals.

— Rookie forward Brett Harrison posted his first point as a pro with an assist on Saturday.

BAD

— Providence finished with the worst road power play in the league at 14.8 percent.

— The penalty kill had a tough weekend, giving up five goals in 14 shorthanded situations.

— Providence allowed a goal 38 seconds into the game on Saturday.

— After taking an early 2-0 lead on Friday, the P-Bruins gave up seven straight goals.

— They gave up two goals in 12 seconds in the second period and two goals in 1:56 in the third period of Friday’s game.

UGLY

—  Injured: Nick Wolff, Trevor Kuntar

Eduards Tralmaks stuffs the puck past Bridgeport’s Jakub Skarek for the game-winner on Saturday. (Photo courtesy of Providence Bruins)

Rookie Mason Lohrei recorded his first point as a pro with an assist on Saturday. (Photo courtesy of Providence Bruins)

At home for three straight games, the Providence Bruins earned four of a possible six points last week.

They snapped a two-game losing streak with a solid 3-1 win over the Hershey Bears on Wednesday. They ground out a 3-1 win against the last-place Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins on Friday. Then they lost to the red-hot Hartford Wolf Pack, 5-3, on Saturday.

Here’s the good, bad and ugly.

GOOD

— The P-Bruins head into the final week of the season in second place in the Atlantic Division with 94 points. They trail first-place Hershey by a point. They have a bye for the first-round of the playoffs.

— Providence went 5-1 against Hershey this season.

— Vinni Lettieri returned from an ankle injury against Hershey and scored the winning goal and added an assist. He scored an empty net goal to clinch the win against WBS. He’s averaging a point per game with 21-24-45 in 45 games.

— Shane Bowers scored twice against Hershey and again against Wilkes-Barre/Scranton. His first tally against Hershey snapped a 38-game goal-less streak.

— Connor Carrick made a terrific pass to Vinni Lettieri on the winning goal on Friday. Carrick was plus-2 on both Wednesday and Friday.

— Brandon Bussi delivered yet another fine performance on Friday, stopping 36 of 37 shots in the win over Wilkes-Barre/Scranton. His .925 save percentage is second in the AHL.

— Kyle Keyser played well against Hershey, stopping 28 of 29 shots. He was very strong in the third period when the P-Bruins were outshot, 14-4.

— Luke Toporowski had a good weekend. On Friday he made a play to get the puck to the net and it was tipped in by Eduards Tralmaks, giving Providence the lead with 18 seconds left in the second period. On Saturday he smoked a wrist shot past Dylan Garand for his 14^th goal of the season. Toporowski would probably be closing in on 20 goals if he hadn’t missed a couple of months with a knee injury.

— On his 30^th birthday on Saturday, Josiah Didier scored two goals. He hadn’t scored since Dec. 4. It was the first multi-goal game of his pro career.

— Mason Lohrei recorded his first point as a pro, earning the second assist on Josiah Didier’s first goal on Saturday.

— Eduards Tralmaks scored a goal on Friday and assisted on one on Saturday.

BAD

— The power play went 0 for 8 in the three games. It is 1 for its last 21 and is last in the AHL at home at 14.3 percent.

— Georgii Merkulov has come a long way with his defensive zone play this season, but he was minus-3 on Saturday.

— Three of Hartford’s first 13 shots went in on Saturday.

UGLY

— The AHLTV broadcast from the Amica Mutual Pavilion on Saturday night was unwatchable at times. I don’t see camera work that bad anywhere else in the Atlantic Division.

— Injured: Nick Wolff, Joey Abate, Trevor Kuntar

Justin Brazeau celebrates after scoring his 16th goal of the season on a first-period power play on Saturday. (Photo courtesy of Providence Bruins)

It wasn’t a particularly good week for the Providence Bruins. They didn’t play very well while winning once and losing twice.

In Wilkes-Barre/Scranton on Wednesday night, they escaped with a 4-3 shootout win against the last-place Penguins. The road-weary P-Bruins were blitzed, 5-0, by the Hartford Wolf Pack on the road on Friday night, then were beaten, 5-2, at home against the Bridgeport Islanders on Saturday.

Here’s the good, bad and ugly.

GOOD

— With six games left in the regular season, Providence has clinched a place in the playoffs and is in second place in the Atlantic Division with 90 points, one behind Hershey, which visits the AMP on Wednesday night.

— Johnny Beecher’s arrow is pointing up. He didn’t hesitate to drop the gloves with Brandon Scanlin on Friday after the Hartford defenseman blasted Sammy Asselin into the boards and he scored a nice goal on Saturday.

— Attendance continues to be strong. A crowd of 10,503 was at Saturday’s game on Star Wars Night. Providence is fourth in the AHL with an average of 7,787.

— Fabian Lysell scored a slick goal against Wilkes-Barrie/Scranton and buried the only goal in the shootout in Providence’s win.

— Connor Carrick assisted on both Providence goals on Saturday. He has 6-34-40 in 58 games.

— Brandon Bussi stopped all three Penguins shooters in the shootout win on Wednesday.

BAD

— The P-Bruins’ eight-game win streak ended with the loss in Hartford.

— They gave up a goal 19 seconds into Saturday’s game.

— Providence gave up two goals in 49 seconds in the first period against the Penguins and two goals in 44 seconds in the first period against the Islanders.

— Confusion between defense partners Mike Callahan and Josiah Didier led to a goal for Hartford with two seconds left in the first period on Friday.

— Don’t know how there was no penalty called on Bridgeport’s Chris Terry for dangerously shoving Joona Koppanen into the boards at the end of the second period on Saturday. Referee Chad Ingalls was 10 feet away and looking right at the play.

— The power play went 1 for 13 in the three games.

— Fabian Lysell has been minus-1 in five straight games. His minus-12 is the worst on the team.

— The team bus from Wilkes-Barre/Scranton didn’t pull into the AMP until around 3:30 a.m. on Thursday.

UGLY

— Injured: Vinni Lettieri, Mike Reilly, Joey Abate, Nick Wolff, Matt Filipe

The Providence Bruins continue to pile up wins. They extended their winning streak to seven with a pair of road victories against a good Charlotte Checkers team over the weekend.

In the first game on Saturday, Providence won, 3-1, despite being outshot, 31-18. On Sunday, the P-Bruins trailed by a goal early in the second before scoring four straight in a 5-2 victory.

Here’s the good, bad and ugly.

GOOD

— Providence is in first place in both the Atlantic Division and the Eastern Conference as of Monday. They are 39-14-8-2 with a .698 points percentage. Only the Calgary Wranglers (.734) and the Coachella Valley Firebirds (.726) are ahead of them.

— Goaltending has been a strong suit all season. In Saturday’s win, Brandon Bussi stopped 30 of 31 shots and improved his record to 19-4-4 with a .928 save percentage, which is second in the AHL. His glove save on Cory Conacher on Saturday was one of the best of the year. On Sunday, Kyle Keyser kicked out 19 shots, including a great stop on Connor Bunnaman with three seconds left in the second period. Keyser is 11-3-2 with a .913 save percentage.

— Georgii Merkulov scored a goal in each game after picking off bad passes by Charlotte. He leads all AHL rookies in scoring with 23-27-50 in 58 games and has 16 goals in his last 22 games.

— After missing two months with a knee injury, Luke Toporowski buried a breakaway goal in first game back on Saturday.

— The power play went 2 for 7 in Sunday’s win.

— Chris Wagner’s score on Saturday gave him a career-high 16 goals.

— Connor Carrick had a power play goal on Sunday on a bomb from long range and has 2-8-10 in his last 7 games.

— Fabian Lysell was credited with three assists on Sunday.

— Dan Renouf was plus-three on Sunday.

BAD

— Providence gave up a two-on-one while on the power play and allowed a shorthanded goal by Lucas Carlsson on Sunday.

— The roughing call on Justin Brazeau by referee Jackson Kozari on Sunday was a joke.

— Mike Reilly took a terrible fall into the boards in the third period on Sunday. Luckily, he wasn’t seriously hurt.

UGLY

— Injured: Vinni Lettieri, Mike Reilly, Joey Abate, Nick Wolff, Matt Filipe

Michael DiPietro stopped 33 shots in his first start for Providence, a 4-2 win over Syracuse. He was one of three P-Bruins goalies to record a win last week. (Photo courtesy of Providence Bruins)

The Providence Bruins won all three of their games over the last week and they continue to hold down first place in the Atlantic Division.

They started with a solid 4-2 win over the Syracuse Crunch at home on Wednesday. On Saturday, Providence played very well on the road in a 4-1 victory against the Springfield Thunderbirds. Back home before a big crowd on Sunday, the P-Bruins earned a 3-2 shootout win against the Thunderbirds.

Here’s the good, bad and ugly.

GOOD

— Providence has won five games in a row. With 11 games left in the regular season, they have a record of 37-14-8-2 and 84 points. They are three points ahead of second-place Hershey, which has a game in hand.

— Joona Koppanan had a tremendous week. He scored a goal and an assist against Syracuse and an assist in Springfield. Then on Sunday he scored a shorthanded goal and a power play goal and buried the only goal for the win in the shootout.

— The power play went four for nine in the three games.

— The P-Bruins got wins from three different goalies. Playing his first game with Providence, Michael DiPietro stopped 33 shots in the win against Syracuse. Brandon Bussi stopped 32 of 33 shots and improved his record to 18-4-4 with the win in Springfield. Kyle Keyser made one of the best saves of the year on Adam Gaudette at the final buzzer, then denied all three Thunderbirds shooters in the shootout in Sunday’s win.

— Georgii Merkulov scored twice against Syracuse and once in Springfield.

— Connor Carrick had three assists against Syracuse. He has 1-7-8 in the last five games. He also stepped up and fought Keean Washkurek after the Springfield player snowed Kyle Keyser.

— Fabian Lysell had a goal and an assist against the Crunch.

— Curtis Hall scored his first goal of the season in Springfield.

— The crowd of 10,054 got its money’s worth at Sunday’s entertaining game. Providence’s average attendance is up to 7,697, which is an increase of over 700 fans per game from 2021-22.

BAD

— I looked high and low and couldn’t find anything bad this week.

UGLY

— Injured/sick: Vinni Lettieri, Fabian Lysell, Luke Toporowski, Nick Wolff, Matt Filipe