PROVIDENCE — Figure on a low-scoring game when the Providence Bruins and Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins meet at the Dunkin’ Donuts Center tonight.

The P-Bruins are third in the AHL in goals against with 117, while the Pens are fourth with 118.

The last time the Pens were in town three Fridays ago, Providence squeaked out a 1-0 win on a Tommy Cross power play goal in the third period in a very entertaining and well-played game.

The P-Bruins haven’t scored much lately, with only 22 goals in their last 11 games.

Austin Czarnik, Providence’s top scorer, is on recall in Boston.

Three of Wilkes-Barre/Scranton’s top five scorers won’t be available tonight. Zach Aston-Reese and Teddy Blueger are up with Pittsburgh and Ryan Haggerty is out for a while with a lower-body injury.

The Penguins are first in the Atlantic Division with a .689 points percentage. Providence is third with .609.

Zane McIntyre (.904 save percentage) will start in goal for the P-Bruins. Casey DeSmith (.917) will start for the Pens.

Zach Senyshyn, who has been out with an upper body injury, is expected to return on Saturday night in Bridgeport. Chris Breen (lower body) will miss his third straight game.

PROVIDENCE LINEUP

Agostino-Szwarz-Hargrove

Blidh-JFK-Fitzgerald

Cehlarik-Cave-Payerl

Beleskey-Hennessy-Hickman

Zboril-Cross

Lauzon-O’Gara

Johansson-Clifton

Binnington is the backup

SCRATCHES: Senyshyn, Porter, Acolatse, Breen

PROVIDENCE – Jeremy Swayman is making a splash in his freshman season at Maine.

With a Hockey-East-leading save percentage of .926, the 19-year-old goalie from Anchorage, Alaska, is making the Boston Bruins look smart for drafting him in the fourth round last June.

“A lot of it has to do with the teammates around me — blocking shots, making plays to get the puck out of our end. A lot of my success has been team success. It’s been a team effort the entire way. All that matters to us is the two points at the end of the game,’’ he said over the phone this week.

Swayman and the Black Bears will be in Rhode Island on Friday night to play Providence College. They dropped a 3-0 decision to the Friars in Belfast, Ireland, in November as Swayman stopped 35 shots.

PC assistant coach Kris Mayotte coached Swayman — who is 6-foot-2 and 183 pounds — with the U.S. team at the World Junior Championship last month in Buffalo.

“Big, strong, athletic kid. Competes. Hard-working. Likes to be coached,’’ Mayotte said.

Swayman played for Sioux Falls of the USHL last season, where he was a teammate of Friar Jason O’Neill.

In the 2015-16 season he made the jump from Alaska high school hockey to the U-18 Pikes Peak Miners. That wasn’t the plan heading into the season, but it ended up working out well for him.

“It was a pretty crazy deal. I tendered to the Kenai River (Alaska) Brown Bears in the NAHL. I ended up not making the team, so I was kind of in a scramble to find a team. I was still set on playing juniors, but there was kind of a pipeline from Alaska going to this team in Colorado that I’d heard of a little bit in Pikes Peak,’’ Swayman said.

“I got a hold of the coach and told him my situation. In Alaska hockey at that time, there weren’t any legit U-18 teams. (Moving) to Colorado was one of the best decisions of my hockey career. The coach, Greg Vanover, took me under his wing and really gave me every opportunity to succeed. I learned what hard work was, that’s for sure. It’s definitely a reason why I’m here today.’’

Swayman has adjusted well to Hockey East, posting a 12-7-3 record for the surprising Black Bears. He said he is always working to simplify his game.

“It’s a positioning game. You learn to relax during games and get your positioning down. It helps you see the puck a lot better. I’m always working on that every game, getting your angles and your positioning down and getting your feet set to stop the puck,’’ he said.

Swayman has assistant coach Alfie Michaud, who backstopped Maine to the 1999 NCAA title, working with him in Orono. Another former Maine great, 1993 NCAA champ Mike Dunham, is keeping a close watch, too, as goalie development coach for the Bruins.

“They’ve got a young team and, playing in Hockey East, there are going to be some learning curves. He’s handled it well and he seems to be enjoying it, which is the key. It’s a good fit up there for him.

“He works hard. He wants to learn. He studies the game. His skating ability around the crease is very strong. Obviously, he’s going to need to gain more experience, as a young kid playing at the Division I level. He’s got the right mindset and the right attitude. He’s quick, he’s square to the puck. It’s just gaining experience, at that age,’’ said Dunham who was in Orono last Friday when Swayman stopped 36 Merrimack shots in a 4-3 overtime win.

“Gave his team a chance to win. That’s what you want.”

Swayman appreciates Dunham’s input.

“Mike Dunham has been really instrumental in helping me as a player. He’s been to several of my games and he’s always been right there asking what I need help with and giving me pointers. I’ve picked his brain quite a bit and I’ve used a lot of his tools and put them into my game.

“He’s telling me to enjoy the process. He’s been there and told me some pretty good stories. To get that connection right off the bat with a guy like him has been a really good thing. It’s been cool to create a relationship with him,’’ Swayman said.

When the Black Bears were in Providence to play Brown in early January, the team attended a P-Bruins game at the Dunkin’ Donuts Center, where Swayman could be playing down the road.

“It was really cool. It was definitely a pro atmosphere. The game was fast and the rink was amazing. It gives me more motivation to get to that next level,” he said.

The Providence Bruins continue to tread water, splitting a home-and-home against Hartford over the weekend. Providence won at home on Friday, 2-1, in overtime, then lost on the road, 3-1, on Saturday.

Here’s the good, bad and ugly.

GOOD

*** With Boston GM Don Sweeney watching, Austin Czarnik was all over the ice in Friday night’s win, scoring both goals and earning a recall to Boston.

*** Jordan Szwarz made a beautiful play to set up Czarnik’s OT goal on Friday.

*** The line of Ryan Fitzgerald, Szwarz and Czarnik combined for 17 of Providence’s 50 shots on Friday. Fitzgerald had 7 and Szwarz and Czarnik had 5 each.

*** Zane McIntyre made a terrific save late in regulation time on Friday, sending the game to overtime.

*** Both P-Bruins’ goals on Friday were on the power play.

*** Chris Porter had 7 shots on goal on Friday.

*** Colton Hargrove couldn’t have gotten a better bounce off the end boards on his goal in Hartford. He has 10 goals in 28 games after scoring 8 in 67 games last season.

BAD

*** Providence went from 50 shots on Friday night to only 17 on Saturday.

*** Jakob Forsbacka Karlsson had 1 shot on Friday and none on Saturday.

*** Peter Cehlarik had only 1 shot in 2 games and his fumble on the power play led to Hartford’s first goal on Saturday.

*** The Kenny Agostino-Szwarz-Fitzgerald line combined for only 2 shots in Saturday’s loss.

*** Providence has managed only 5 goals in the last 3 games.

*** The P-Bruins gave up a shorthanded goal on Saturday. They’ve allowed 8 goals while on the power play, tied for third-most in the AHL.

*** Providence has earned 9 points in its last 10 games.

*** Jeremy Lauzon was minus-2 on Saturday and is minus-5 in his last 5 games.

*** A slow change by the defense led to a 2 on 1 and Hartford’s second goal on Saturday.

*** Tough weekend ahead for the P-Bruins. They play first place Wilkes-Barre/Scranton twice at home and Bridgeport on the road. The Sound Tigers, who have given Providence fits, are idle on Friday night before playing the P-Bruins on Saturday. The  Penguins have Saturday night off before playing Providence on Sunday.

*** The next four weekends for the P-Bruins will be 3-in-3s.

UGLY

*** Injured: Chris Breen (lower body), Zach Senyshyn (upper body).

BOSTON — The playoffs are still a couple of months away, but Saturday night’s thoroughly entertaining 4-1 victory by the Boston Bruins over the Toronto Maple Leafs was a tasty postseason appetizer.

Here are three quick hits from the game:

ANOTHER CHANCE FOR CZARNIK

Austin Czarnik’s been on fire for the Providence Bruins lately and it was nice to see him rewarded with a callup. Not only did Czarnik play well in his 9:07 of ice time, he set up Torey Krug’s power play goal in the second period.

Kudos to the Bruins coaching staff for playing to Czarnik’s strengths by using him with the man advantage, even if it was for only 32 seconds.

“I didn’t know what to expect coming into tonight so it was nice to get (power play time) and we scored on one of them so it was perfect,” Czarnik said.

“I think he was good,” said coach Bruce Cassidy. “Lots of energy, on the puck, made a play on the power play which we’re used to seeing him make. So, I thought that whole line (with Frank Vatrano and Sean Kuraly) did their job pretty well, other than maybe the shift with a minute to go where they got hemmed in their own end a bit, but no complaints, and that’s what we need.”

WINNING CHEMISTRY

After Charlie McAvoy’s own goal in the first period, there was no bad body language on the part of Tuukka Rask. Instead, he went to McAvoy and told him not to worry about it.

That kind of response goes a long way.

“He’s an unbelievable teammate and an unbelievable player,” said McAvoy. “I’m kind of feeling a little upset there, obviously it’s a bounce you can’t really control, but to
have him come and tap me on the pads there and say “hey, no worries, it’s fine,” that meant a lot to me as far as focusing and getting back into the game.”

The Bruins have built some good chemistry, which should serve them well as they navigate the peaks and valley’s of the stretch drive and postseason.

“I think it’s just another sign of what you’re seeing inside of our club, and in that particular case outside, but there’s a lot of that going on. Guys are working hard for one another, have each other’s backs,” said Cassidy.

MCQUAID DOING MCQUAID THINGS

Given Adam McQuaid’s lengthy injury history, you couldn’t help but cringe when he  blocked a William Nylander slapper on a Toronto power play in the third period.

Luckily, he was none the worse for wear.

“When you break your leg blocking a shot like he did earlier in the year and missed that much time, there might be some hesitancy to put yourself in harm’s way,” said Cassidy.

But, of course, McQuaid didn’t hesitate a bit.

“That’s Adam. He’s a soldier for us,” said Cassidy.

Zane McIntyre will start in goal tonight in Hartford as the Providence Bruins go for a sweep against the Wolf Pack.

Providence outplayed Hartford all night on Friday, but had to go to overtime to get a win on Austin Czarnik’s second goal of the game.

Czarnik, Providence’s best player lately, was recalled by Boston this morning. Matt Beleskey is back in the lineup after sitting out last night.

The P-Bruins peppered Alexander Georgiev with 50 shots, but the Hartford netminder did his best Dominik Hasek imitation, sprawling all over the blue paint.

Coach Jay Leach said the P-Bruins had 32 scoring chances to 10 for the Wolf Pack.

“It’s concerning to me that we only scored two goals on 32 chances. I feel like we’ve run into that a lot this year, which is starting to tell me it might be a trend: We don’t finish. I hope they’re not getting the ‘Leach finish,’” said Leach, referring to his own playing days (25 goals in 499 AHL games).

He is expecting a much better game from the Wolf Pack tonight. Hartford had won five straight going into last night.

The P-Bruins again will be without Chris Breen (lower body) and Zach Senyshyn (upper body). Senyshyn skated this morning but has not been cleared for contact.

PROVIDENCE’S LINEUP

Agostino-Szwarz-Fitzgerald

Cehlarik-JFK-Porter

Blidh-Cave-Hargrove

Beleskey-Hennessey-Hickman

Zboril-Cross

Johansson-O’Gara

Lauzon-Clifton

Binnington is the backup.

SCRATCHES

Breen (lower body), Senyshyn (upper body), Payerl, Acolatse

MIami University star Austin Czarnik signed with Boston as a free agent in 2015.

PROVIDENCE – Austin Czarnik insists that he’s not growing impatient waiting for a call from the Boston Bruins.

And, judging from the smile on his face at the rink every day, there’s no reason to doubt him.

Still, who could blame him if, deep down, he were just the slightest bit irked?

Czarnik, who played 49 games with Boston last season and 6 early this season, was assigned to the Providence Bruins on Nov. 9. Night in and night out through the first half of the season, the third-year pro has been one of the team’s best players.

“When he has his energy and his speed, he’s a top player in this league,’’ says John Ferguson Jr., Providence’s general manager and Boston’s executive director of player personnel.

Skating at right wing alongside center Jordan Szwarz and a rotating cast of left wingers, Czarnik is ninth in the AHL in scoring with 11-29-40 in 37 games. He has scored at least a point in the P-Bruins’ last six games.

His selection to the AHL All-Star Challenge – where he posted two goals and an assist on Monday night in Utica — was a no-brainer.

But for all Czarnik has done, other players have gotten the call ahead of him when Boston needed a forward.

To his credit, the 25-year-old is taking the right approach — focusing on the task at hand, instead of worrying about a decision that is out of his hands.

“You can’t look into it too much. It’s hard, obviously, if you don’t get the call, but you just have to focus on yourself. You let it go and you try to get better,’’ he said.

The thing is, no matter how well an AHLer might be playing, the needs of the parent club will dictate who gets called up.

“If they need a left winger and Austin Czarnik has scored five goals in the last three games, they’re still probably going to bring up a left shot. That’s really what it is,’’ said P-Bruins coach Jay Leach.

That’s pretty close to what happened last week when Czarnik remained in Providence while Anders Bjork – riding a streak of five games without a point — was recalled after Brad Marchand was suspended.

“It’s important that players understand. The only thing that they can control is their play. And if their play is where it needs to be, and they need a player like Austin Czarnik, he’s going to get the call. That’s the mentality. That’s minor league hockey right there,’’ said Leach, who spent the majority of his career in the AHL.

“The opportunity will come. You don’t know when, but it will come. When it comes, you have to be playing your best hockey.’’

No doubt, the waiting is difficult. “It’s really a daily, weekly, monthly challenge. In this career, you’re going to face adversity. He’s come through it before. He played 49 games in the NHL last year, so he’s proven that he’s capable of performing at that level and contributing at that level,’’ said Ferguson.

As well as Czarnik has played so far this season, Leach believes he has more to give.

“Honestly, I’ve challenged him a little bit because I think he can be even better,’’ said Leach. “He has an opportunity at this level to be an absolute dominant force when he really puts his mind to it. His play up until this point has definitely carried us.  I don’t want to diminish that, but as his coach I do want to challenge him because I think it’s within him (to be better). And he’d probably say the same thing. I’m definitely happy with his play. A little challenge to be even better isn’t a bad thing.’’

Talking about Czarnik’s career track, Ferguson points to Yanni Gourde of Tampa Bay and Jonathan Marchessault of Vegas. Both are fast and undersized, like Czarnik. Both spent several seasons in the AHL before they were able to break through in the NHL.

“There are lots of guys in similar situations in this league that have endured and persevered, improved as pros. I think he’s doing that. (The opportunity) is still going to be there for him. If it’s not tomorrow night, it could be a week or a month from now, or it could be next year,’’ said Ferguson.

In the meantime, Czarnik is keeping his eyes on the prize.

“I’m just focused every day here. I want to get back up to Boston again. I loved being there and playing for them,’’ he said.

A crowd of 9,348 turned out at the Dunkin’ Donuts Center on Friday for Military Appreciation Night. Providence beat Hershey, 5-2.

It was an inconsistent week for the Providence Bruins with only one win in three games. They lost at Lehigh Valley, 3-2; won at home against Hershey, 5-2; then dropped a 5-2 decision at Springfield in the final game before the All-Star break.

Here’s the good, bad and ugly.

GOOD

*** Ryan Fitzgerald scored a goal and three assists in Friday night’s win over Hershey.

*** Austin Czarnik had a five-point week, including 1-2-3 on Friday, and moved up to ninth in the AHL in scoring with 11-29-40 in 37 games.

*** Tommy Cross had 1-1-2 on Friday.

*** Jordan Szwarz had four assists in three games.

*** Jakob Zboril scored his first goal as a pro against the Bears.

*** The power play went three-for-seven against Hershey.

*** Kenny Agostino scored 11 seconds into Saturday’s game against the Thunderbirds.

BAD

*** Both Matt Beleskey and Anders Bjork have gone six straight games without a point.

*** While on a first-period power play, Bjork was knocked off the puck in the Providence end and the turnover resulted in a Springfield goal.

*** Tough night for the penalty kill in Springfield, giving up three goals on four penalties.

*** Providence gave up two goals in the first 11:50 against Lehigh Valley and never caught up.

*** The hook whistled by Geoff Miller on Chris Breen in the second period on Saturday was an awful call. Naturally, the T-Birds scored on the power play.

*** Springfield scored on three of its first eight shots on Jordan Binnington, who has lost his last four starts.

*** Providence went 4-7-0-1 in January.

UGLY

*** Just back from a concussion, Jeremy Lauzon lost a one-sided fight with Hershey’s Anthony Peluso on Friday night.

When the NCAA Tournament field is set in March, Providence College might look back on Saturday night’s 2-1 OT win over Northeastern as the biggest win of the regular season. A loss would have put the 17-8-3 Friars in a precarious spot on the NCAA bubble. Instead, thanks to freshman Greg Printz’s tally, the Friars finished the weekend at No. 9 in the PairWise. All things considered, that’s not a bad place to be with six games to go.

Here are three thoughts from Saturday night.

— TOUGHING IT OUT

Mental toughness – or lack thereof – has been a recurring issue for Nate Leaman’s young team all season.

If the Friars took a step back in that department on Friday night in allowing three third-period goals to Adam Gaudette, Dylan Sikura and the explosive Huskies, they took a couple of steps forward on Saturday.

“I really liked our push in the third period and overtime. We showed some great mental toughness there in the third and we stayed with it when we were down, 1-0. We stayed with it and we got rewarded,’’ said Leaman after Saturday’s win.

“We charted it this morning. Gaudette played 31 minutes last night. They weren’t going to have as much in the tank tonight. That’s just human nature. A lot of our guys played big minutes last night, too. That’s where the mental toughness came in. It’s going to be a battle of wills in the third period.’’

And the Friars came out on top.

— FRESHMEN COME THROUGH

Printz scored the winning goal with fellow freshman Jason O’Neil getting the primary assist. It capped a good game for Printz, who had a couple of glittering chances among his four shots. Ben Mirageas, who seems to improve with every game, had 5 shots. Bailey Conger had a good game.

“We kind of challenged our freshmen this week, Conger, O’Neill, Printz,’’ Leaman said. “We need secondary scoring. We need those guys. They’re more than capable. Conger had a great third period. He’s struggled with his confidence a little bit. He finally went out there and felt comfortable making plays, was after the puck. He gave us a great third period. Then O’Neill and Printz give us the game-winner.

“That’s how a young team grows. We need to be more than a two-line team. We have to have secondary scoring.”

This is the time of year when you hear coaches say something like, “They’re not really freshmen anymore.’’

PC’s youngsters didn’t play like freshmen on Saturday night.

THE ROAD AHEAD

PC’s path to a fifth straight trip to the NCAA Tournament is clear.

The Friars have six games left: two at Vermont, a home and home with Lowell, a home game against Maine and a road game at UMass.

Maine is 21st in the PairWise, while Lowell is 26th. Much farther back are UMass (37) and Vermont (55).

So, if the Friars win all six, they are in. Losing a few could make things dicey.

Their fate is in their own hands. That’s a good position to be in at this point in the season.

PROVIDENCE — Coming off a 3-2 loss at Lehigh Valley on Wednesday night, Providence Bruins coach Jay Leach is looking for his team to get back to playing its game tonight when the Hershey Bears visit the Dunkin’ Donuts Center.

“We made it easy on them,” Leach said after the morning skate today. “We got away from what made us so good Sunday and Friday, and that’s playing on the inside, supporting the puck, skating. We were sleepy early and then we’re chasing it all night. We obviously had moments when we were good. It wasn’t a consistent 60-minute effort like we’ve had previously.”

Zane McIntyre will start in goal for the P-Bruins. He will be opposed by Vitek Vanecek of the Bears.

PROVIDENCE LINEUP

Fitzgerald-Szwarz-Czarnik

Agostino-JFK-Cehlarik

Blidh-Cave-Senyshyn

Beleskey-Hennessy-Hickman

Zboril-Cross

Breen-Johansson

Lauzon-O’Gara

Binnington will be the backup.

Providence plays at Springfield on Saturday night in its last game before the AHL All-Star break.

PROVIDENCE – The Providence Bruins won two out of three over the weekend and the way they did it – at least in the two shutout victories at home – left coach Jay Leach feeling pretty good about his team as it prepares for the final three games before the all-star break.

Zane McIntyre’s airtight goaltending and strong team defense were the perfect formula in shutout wins over Wilkes-Barre/Scranton and Springfield.

“We’ve been playing these games for the last two weeks now against teams that are rested and we’re playing back to backs. We challenged (the players on Sunday) and they did a great job. We might have given up a couple of chances here and there, but I thought we were really sound, really determined,’’ Leach said.

He isn’t concerned about scoring only 5 goals in 3 games.

“I’d like to think we are getting chances that are just not going in. Friday night, that kid (Anthony Peters of the Penguins) made a bunch of saves. (Sunday), this kid (Sam Montembeault of the Thunderbirds) made a bunch of saves. Logic and history does tell that (goals will) start to come in bunches. Right now, for whatever reason, it’s a bit of a challenge for us,’’ Leach said.

“It is an opportunity, when it does go like that, for us to tighten up and play the way we want to play, identify the team we want to be. I think you could argue that the two games here, Friday and Sunday, we saw some of our identity, with regards to our puck management and the way we want to defend and forecheck and do those things. What we’re trying to do is get that identity and then hopefully the goals will fall.’’

Senyshyn scratched

The pro hockey education of Zach Senyshyn continues.

Riding a streak of 13 games without a goal, the rookie first-round draft pick was a healthy scratch on Sunday.

But don’t think of it as punishment.

“What I said to him was there’s going to be times throughout the season, as a young kid, it’s not a bad thing to just watch a game. We talked before the game and we looked at some video to kind of identify where we think he’s at. He’s got plenty of good material,’’ Leach said after Sunday’s game.

“We’re taking the day to kind of hit the reset button and get focused on Wednesday’s game. That can be done because we have so many extra bodies. It wasn’t his best game on Saturday night, but on Friday night he was pretty good.

“I said to him, ‘Does he really need to come out, is it that drastic?’ It’s really not. But it is an opportunity for a young kid to sit back for a day on a three-in-three and just focus on what he is and what he can be for this team. We’ll go into (practice on) Tuesday with that focus.’’

McIntyre shines

Leach lauded the recent play of McIntyre, the AHL’s Player of the Week, who looks to be getting closer to the form he showed last season as a second-team All-Star.

“He looks big, confident. Goaltending is so challenging. You make a mistake and there’s no one else back there. Mentally, you have to be so strong. He’s fought through some stuff this year and he’s looked terrific the last two starts, that’s for sure,’’ Leach said.

Lots of positives

Leach had nice things to say about a number of his players.

“Kenny (Agostino) was really, really good. A lot of energy, on pucks and doing really nice things. (Jeremy Lauzon) was good both games (he played). Emil (Johansson) was good both games. (Jakob Forsbacka Karlsson) was really good (Sunday),’’ he said.

“(Anders Bjork), I really liked his game (on Sunday). He was a little more straightforward, simplified it a little bit, getting above pucks. All these guys are learning. (Jordan Szwarz) was consistently good. Peter Cehlarik was much better (Sunday). (Chris) Breen was excellent. Very physical.

“Colby Cave, the first two games of the weekend, was our best forward. (Sunday), I thought he looked a little frustrated in the first, but it was a really good weekend for him. (Ryan Fitzgerald) had a good weekend.’’