BUFFALO – It was a bumpy ride for the Boston Bruins rookies in the opener of the Prospects Challenge on Friday.

The Bruins squandered a 3-1 first period lead on the way to a 6-3 defeat at the hands of the Pittsburgh Penguins prospects.

“I thought (the Pens) got through the neutral zone extremely easy. We didn’t get a lot of skin on guys, watched them skate by us. Those are all fixable, teachable moments. We’ll be better at it tomorrow,” said coach Ryan Mougenel.

Goal scorers for the Bruins were free agent Markus Vidicek (Halifax) and Providence Bruins John Farinacci and Brett Harrison.

“I really liked a lot of the guys that were in Providence last year,” said Mougenel, mentioning Farinacci, Harrison and Riley Duran, who bull-rushed the net leading to Harrison’s goal.

Here are quick hits on three players.

FREDERIC BRUNET

A play in the third period put an exclamation point on the progress Brunet has made over the last 12 months.

The second-year defenseman took out a Pens player hard along the boards and when the player pushed back, Brunet added a stiff arm that earned him a roughing penalty.

A year ago in Buffalo, Brunet wouldn’t have made such a physical play. He hadn’t yet signed his entry-level deal. His lack of confidence was evident.

Now, after spending a year in Providence, Brunet’s confidence is growing.

“Just that play showed – I got a penalty, I’m not proud of it – but just taking the guy out, having that mindset, that physicality, is a huge step,” said Brunet, who wore an “A” for Friday’s game.

“I approach it the same as last year – I want to prove myself, leave a good image. The difference is my confidence, to make better plays, hold onto the puck a little more, have confidence to not force it and make some plays that maybe last year I didn’t have. I’m here to compete like last year but the difference is confidence.

“I’m working a lot on my defense right now. I define myself as a hybrid D-man,” combining strong offense and defense.

“I really want to work on my physicality. It’s really a big thing in my game. If I can do that, maybe I can show I’m ready for the next step,” he said.

TREVOR KUNTAR

Kuntar was in the thick of the action throughout the game, from a hard finish on Pittsburgh’s Rutger McGroary on the boards in the first period to a scrum in the closing minutes that landed him in the box.

“You don’t have to tell Kuntar twice that you have to play harder, that’s for sure. It’s built into him,” said Mougenel.

“He’s easy to sell to (Jim Montgomery): This is what he is, this is what he does. He plays hard every shift. There’s a market for that. There’s not a lot of guys like that around. He recognizes that, he’s a smart kid. He’s another kid you root for. “

Kuntar put up 20 points and 113 penalty minutes as a rookie pro.

“He’s got to build a little bit more finish into his game, for sure. He got a lot of opportunities to score last year in Providence. First-year player, what did he have, 10 (goals)? Probably should have had 15 with some of the looks he had. Just rounding out his game, he’s got to be a guy we rely on on the PK,” said Mougenel.

If and when Kuntar reaches the NHL, penalty killing would be a handy skill to have.

“He’s going to have to kill penalties at the NHL level, I think. That’s going to be a little bit of his DNA up there,” said Mougenel.

DREW BAVARO

Early in the game the rookie from Notre Dame made a slick play at the offensive blueline and fired a shot that was tipped in by Vidicek for Boston’s first goal.

That was the good news. The bad news was a third period turnover that resulted in a three-on-one for Pittsburgh, which they capitalized on for their sixth goal.

With the Bruins trailing by two goals at the time, you can understand Bavaro’s decision to take a chance.

“I hold myself to a high standard, so you never want that to happen, but in terms of how the game was going, I knew we had to make a push there,” he said.

“It was a little bit of a high-risk play, but if things are cleaned up a little bit that’s still a play I can execute. Maybe a little less fluff, as Moug likes to call it, getting that thing to the net, that’s a strong point in my game. Making that extra pass worked (in the first period) but it doesn’t always work. You learn from it.”

QUOTE OF THE DAY

Mougenel on Fabian Lysell and Georgii Merkulov heading into NHL training camp next week:

“I do think they’re in a really good spot to push (to make the big club). They’ve got the right staff for those guys. Monty has a ton of patience for young players. They’vd got Chris Kelly, who is really good at the details and (coaching players) to value what’s important in the NHL. Then you’ve got Joe Sacco, who is great for those young players, too. When (Lysell and Merkulov are) ready to graduate, they’ll be in good hands.”

Colorado College’s Gleb Veremyev celebrates a goal against Minnesota Duluth. (Photo courtesy of Colorado College Athletics)

Undrafted left winger Gleb Veremyev is a player to watch at Boston Bruins development camp starting Monday at Warrior Arena.

At 6-foot-4 and 210 pounds, Veremyev possesses traits valued by NHL evaluators. He competes shift in and shift out. He loves to use his size, whether he’s banging bodies on the forecheck or bulling his way through traffic around the net.

Coming back from a knee injury that forced him to miss all but 14 games as a freshman, the 21-year-old turned in a strong sophomore year in 2023-24 with 15 goals and 28 points in 37 games on the top line for a Colorado College team that is on the rise in the big-boy-hockey NCHC.

If Veremyev picks up where he left off last year, by the end of the ’24-25 college season he’ll be an attractive free agent for the Bruins and any number of NHL teams looking to add size and toughness to their prospect pool.

Veremyev, whose parents emigrated from Russia, can’t wait to get going at development camp.

“Obviously it’s a historic franchise. I’m super excited to show them what I can do and learn more about the organization itself,’’ he said.

“I like Boston a lot. They play a style of game that’s similar to the way I like to play the game. It’s an Original Six franchise. Boston’s a beautiful city,” said Veremyev, who attended Calgary’s development camp in 2022.

“With a chance like this to get to their camp and experience it, it was really high on my list. I talked to my adviser and I was like, yeah, I’d love to go to their camp. And here we are.”

Veremyev, fluent in Russian as well as English, was born in New Jersey. He started to draw attention from college recuiters in his mid-teens while playing for the New Jersey Rockets. He spent two seasons with the Lincoln Stars of the USHL, posting over 100 penalty minutes both years, before heading to Colorado College, where he is carrying a 3.5 GPA.

Asked to describe himself as a player, here’s what he said:

“I think I’m a true power forward. I can be on a top line, opening up space for my teammates, putting the puck in the net. I love to get in on the forecheck. I’ve really been working on my defensive game a lot this past year and I think it’s improved a lot. I’m working on my first three strides. My game overall, I’d say I’m really hard to play against, I’ve got good hands and a good shot. I’m not afraid to play against anyone and prove myself against anyone on the ice.”

Colorado College coach Kris Mayotte and Veremyev have known each other for quite a while.

“When he was at Providence he recruited me and then at Michigan, so I’ve had a relationship with him for a long time. I thought he was really ambitious and somebody I wanted to play for, so when he came to Colorado College, I thought it would be the right option,” said Veremyev.

“His game is growing because he’s maturing as a kid,” Mayotte said.

“He certainly has the skill set that you project to be playing a future NHL role. He has the size, he has the skill, he has the competitiveness and the willingness. It really is just continuing to finetune the details. He’s a physical presence. He doesn’t back down from anything. He’s going to get to the net. He’s going to finish all his hits. But it’s learning and continuing to embrace and execute the smaller details.

“It might not have to be a really big hit, but it’s good stick detail and you create a turnover that way. Just continuing to embrace the type of player he is and what that means at the NHL level versus what it meant at a junior level and at a college level. We’ve seen those steps. He wants it. He’s really motivated. I see him playing that potential middle-six, bottom-six role.”

No matter what happens at Bruins camp this week, Veremyev plans on returning to school for his junior year.

He could have turned pro after last season but decided against it.

“I had offers, obviously, to sign, but it’s key not to rush something like that. You are entering a different side of hockey and I think it’s smart to get closer to your degree. There’s a life after hockey,” he said.

“What we have going on at Colorado College is something special and there’s some unfinished business. (New York Rangers draft pick) Noah Laba, my linemate, obviously had a chance to sign. We kind of talked it over a bit.

“Myself, him and (goalie Kaidan Mbereko) didn’t really think it was time. We want to finish what we started (at Colorado College). Hopefully I’m more developed and ready to step in and play in the NHL after going back this year.”

The 2023-24 Providence Bruins season came to a disappointing end with a pair of overtime losses in Hartford.

The P-Bruins fell, 3-2, on Wednesday and, 2-1, on Friday and lost the series against the Wolf Pack, three games to one.

After routing Hartford, 6-0, in Game 2, the P-Bruins scraped together a total of only three goals in the final two games.

“The guys battled extremely hard. We didn’t have a ton of puck luck but sometimes you’ve got to create those chances. At the end of the day, we needed guys to score,” said coach Ryan Mougenel after Friday’s loss.

“It’s just tough. We were real rusty that first game (a 4-3 loss on May 1). We lose two overtime games. That’s kind of the Achilles heel of best out of five. It’s disappointing. It’s almost a disadvantage to have the bye. For us it was.”

Here’s the good, bad and ugly.

GOOD

— Providence had one foot in the grave in the third period of Game 4 but dug deep to tie the game and force overtime on John Farinacci’s goal. It was the rookie’s first goal in 21 games.

— Ian Mitchell was a standout for Providence throughout the series. He finished with 2-2-4 in the postseason, tied for the team points lead with Jimmy Lambert.

— Considering how well Jimmy Lambert played against Hartford, you wonder why he spent most of the season with Maine of the ECHL. Lambert was fast and physical and played with a lot of juice. He recorded assists in Game 3 and 4 and finished with 2-2-4, tied with Ian Mitchell in points.

— Brandon Bussi stopped 83 of 88 shots in the final three games of the series for a .943 save percentage.

— While the ending was tough, it was an entertaining and productive season. Most important from a Bruins point of view, Justin Brazeau, Parker Wotherspoon, Jesper Boqvist, Johnny Beecher and Mason Lohrei moved up to contribute in Boston after spending varying amounts of time in Providence.

BAD

— Providence hasn’t won a playoff series since 2017, when they beat Wilkes-Barre/Scranton and Hershey before losing to the Syracuse Crunch in the Eastern Conference Final. (There were no playoffs in ’20 and ’21 because of Covid.)

They’ve gone a combined 258-141-35-21 in the regular season since then, but the lack of postseason success leaves a sour taste.

— Providence caught no breaks in OT in either game. The Hartford goal that ended the season on Friday came on a shot that hit the crossbar and deflected into the net off the leg of Jake Leschyshyn, whose stick was tied up by a Bruins defenseman.

— Georgii Merkulov with 30 and Anthony Richard with 25 were Providence goal leaders in the regular season. Neither one scored a goal against the Wolf Pack.

— After playing in Hartford on Wednesday night, the P-Bruins bussed home to Providence. Then they made the return trip to Hartford on Thursday afternoon and stayed over for Friday’s game. That’s two two-hour bus rides within 14-15 hours. That didn’t have any impact on the outcome on Friday, but why not stay over after Wednesday’s game?

— Providence was caught with too many men on the ice with 2:58 left in the third period on Friday. Yeesh.

— Fabian Lysell took a hooking penalty in the neutral zone in the first period of Game 3. Hartford scored on the power play. Jimmy Lambert received a tripping penalty in the first period of Game 4. The Wolf Pack once again cashed in on the power play.

— Providence went 0 for 6 on the power play in the last two games.

— Losing Vincent Arseneau to injury just one shift into Game 3 was a tough blow for the P-Bruins. Before that, Arseneau made a lot of Hartford players very nervous every time he stepped on the ice.

UGLY

— Injured: Alec Regula, Fabian Lysell, Vincent Arseneau

Brett Harrison gets ready to convert a pass from Vincent Arseneau for Providence’s third goal on Friday night. (Photo courtesy of Providence Bruins)

The injuries are piling up as the Providence Bruins hit the road this week with their best-of-five Atlantic Division semifinal series against the Hartford Wolf Pack tied at one game each.

Providence had 10 days between games before the series got started with a 4-3 Hartford win on Wednesday at the Amica Mutual Pavilion. The P-Bruins responded with a dominating 6-0 blowout win at home on Friday.

“Everybody was on board, everybody was pulling the rope. (Brandon) Bussi was a lot sharper, made the saves he needed to make,” coach Ryan Mougenel said after Friday’s game. “Our leaders led the way, the Browns and Megnas. They did a great job for us. It was a great bounce-back win.”

Here’s the good, bad and ugly.

GOOD

— Vincent Arseneau didn’t have a point or a shot in Game 1, but the Wolf Pack certainly took note of his physicality on the forecheck. The hits continued in Game 2, but Arseneau also had a major impact on the scoresheet. He got inside for a tip-in on Providence’s first goal just 2:43 into the first period. He put a perfect pass on Brett Harrison’s tape for a goal later in the first. Near the end of the second period, he picked a corner on Dylan Garand for Providence’s fourth goal. He continued to bang bodies and rattle Hartford’s defensemen on the forecheck.

— In Game 1, Brandon Bussi wasn’t as sharp as he usually is, but he rebounded in a big way in Game 2. Bussi made a number of fine saves, kicking out all 34 Hartford shots and posting his first postseason shutout.

— Brett Harrison was a healthy scratch in Game 1 but drew into the Game 2 lineup in place of Oskar Steen and was a standout with a goal and two assists.

He won an offensive zone draw that led to Vincent Arseneau’s goal early in the first period. Later in the period he steered in a perfect pass from Arseneau for a goal, then late in the second period he earned the primary assist on Arseneau’s second goal.

“That says a lot about the kid. He’s been working really hard. He’s a young pro, he’s finding his way. (Scoring) is kind of what he does. He’s got a great nose for the net, great offensive mind. He’s getting stronger and better and we’re real happy for him. More importantly, we’re happy with how hard he’s worked. We’re proud of him,” Mougenel said.

— Patrick Brown continued his strong play with a goal in Game 1 and two assists in Game 2.

— Ian Mitchell scored two power play goals in Game 2 along with an assist in Game 1.

— Georgii Merkulov had two assists in Game 2.

— Special teams were excellent in Game 2. The power play went 2 for 6 and the P-Bruins killed all five shorthanded situations, including a 5 on 3 for a full two minutes in the third period.

— Jimmy Lambert  gave the P-Bruins a big lift with two goals in Game 1.

— With Providence ahead by six goals in the third period on Friday, Riley Duran blocked a slapshot from the point while killing a penalty. That kind of buy-in from a young player goes a long way.

BAD

— After going 10 days between games, Providence was rusty early in Game 1. Hartford scored on two of its first three shots in the opening 5:27.

— After digging out of a 0-2 hole in Game 1, Providence gave up a goal with 34 seconds left in the second period, then another one just 1:28 into the third period.

— Hartford’s Matthew Robertson rammed Vincent Arseneau into the boards from behind late in Game 2. He received five minutes for boarding and a game misconduct. It wouldn’t be a surprise if the AHL decided to suspend Robertson.

UGLY

— Injured: Alec Regula, Fabian Lysell, Joey Abate, Oskar Steen, Anthony Richard

Brandon Bussi and Kyle Keyser celebrate Sunday’s win over Hartford. (Photo courtesy of Providence Bruins)

The Providence Bruins wrapped up the regular season by winning two out of three games over the weekend.

They started by beating the Springfield Thunderbirds, 4-2, at home on Friday night. That victory clinched second place in the Atlantic Division and a first-round bye. In Bridgeport on Saturday, the P-Bruins lost, 4-1, to the Islanders. Back home on Friday. Providence scored twice in the third period on the way to a 4-2 win over the Hartford Wolf Pack.

“I’m real proud of the guys. You look back at the year and their growth was exceptional in a lot of our guys. A game like today to end the season, with back to back three in threes, to play that hard at the end says a ton. They’re not easy,” said coach Ryan Mougenel after Sunday’s game.

“It’s a grind as a coach, I can’t imagine it as a player. It says a lot about the group. It says a lot about some of our young kids. It’s tough to fight through. Arguably, our older  guys were some of the best players today. That speaks volumes.”

Here’s the good, bad and ugly.

GOOD

— After going 1-3-1-1 in October, Providence finished the regular season with a record of 42-21-6-3. They ended up second in the Atlantic Division, earning a bye in the opening round of the playoffs. They were fourth in the AHL with 93 points and fourth in points percentage at .646.

— Georgii Merkulov scored two goals and an assist on Friday and two goals on Sunday. He finished the regular season with 30-35-65 in 67 games, a 10-point improvement over last season. He was fifth in the AHL in points. Only five players scored more goals. He is the first P-Bruin to hit the 30-goal mark since Frank Vatrano did it in 2015-16.

— Jayson Megna had a goal and an assist on Friday and three assists on Sunday. With 15 points in his last 10 games, he finished second on the team with 19-37-56 in 69 games, his best offensive season in the AHL. He was voted team MVP by his teammates.

— Anthony Richard recorded three assists on Friday and one on Sunday. He finished third on the team with 25-30-55 in 59 games.

— Patrick Brown scored a goal on Friday and recorded assists on Saturday and on the game-winning goal on Sunday. He has points in five straight games.

— With Providence nursing a one-goal lead on Sunday, Kyle Keyser made a terrific kick save on Alex Belzile with 3:28 left. Keyser stopped all nine shots he faced after taking over in net for the third period.

— Alec Regula’s plus-36 was the best in the AHL. He was presented with the Best Defenseman Award on Sunday. Dan Renouf, Regula’s partner, was second in the league with plus 34.

— In his first game on a tryout contract, former Boston University center Nick Zabaneh scored the game-winning goal with 8:49 left in Sunday’s game.

— Riley Duran potted the GWG on a rebound Friday night against Springfield after Patrick Brown won an offensive zone faceoff and Dan Renouf fired a shot from the point.

— Trevor Kuntar snapped a streak of 16 straight games without a goal when he scored on Sunday. And it was a beauty, as he beat a Hartford defenseman and tucked the puck into the net for his 10^th goal of the year.

— Providence went 22-9-2-1 against the other New England teams. They were 9-3 vs. Bridgeport; 8-3-1-0 with Springfield; and 5-3-1-1 against Hartford.

— The P-Bruins led the AHL with 15 shorthanded goals.

— Attendance on Sunday was 9,643. Providence finished sixth in the AHL with an average crowd of 7,713. That’s 68.42 percent of capacity.

BAD

— The power play is in a 0 for 16 slump.

— Hard to believe Hartford’s Nic Petan wasn’t called for a penalty after he hacked Anthony Richard’s arm as Richard broke in on the Hartford net in the third period. Richard easily could have been injured on the play and it’s no surprise that he went after Petan seconds later and both players drew roughing penalties.

— John Farinacci has gone 20 games without a goal.

— The P-Bruins finished 28^th in the league on the power play at home at 15.1 percent.

— They were 30^th in the AHL on the penalty kill on the road at 75.9 percent. Bridgeport scored two power-play goals on three opportunities on Saturday.

UGLY

— Injured: Alec Regula, Fabian Lysell, Joey Abate

The Providence Bruins won two of their three games over the weekend. One of the wins came in overtime and the other in a shootout, providing four important points as the P-Bruins close in on clinching second place in the Atlantic Division and a first-round bye.

They started with a 5-4 victory over the Utica Comets at home on Friday. Providence led, 4-1, with 10 minutes left in the third period, but needed a Patrick Brown score in OT to escape with the win.

At home again on Saturday against Utica, the P-Bruins wrested a 3-2 win away from the Comets in a shootout as Jayson Megna scored the decisive goal and Mike DiPietro shut the door in net.

On the road on Sunday, Providence jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the first period, but lost to the Springfield Thunderbirds, 4-2.

Here’s the good, bad and ugly.

GOOD

— Providence is 40-20-6-3 for 89 points. With three games left in the regular season, they need one point to wrap up second-place in the Atlantic Division.

— With Saturday’s win, the P-Bruins reached 40 wins for the eighth time in the last 12 seasons.

— Patrick Brown continues to play terrific hockey.

His OT goal clinched the win on Friday. On Saturday, he made an outstanding play that culminated in an Oskar Steen shorthanded goal 52 seconds into the second period. Brown outskated and outworked a Utica player all the way up the ice, then got off a shot on net. Steen was there to bury the rebound.

On Sunday he gave the P-Bruins a 1-0 lead 46 seconds into the game and recorded a game-high six shots.

— Rookie Riley Duran was outstanding in Friday’s game. He scored his first goal as a pro in the first period and had the primary assist on two other goals.

— Mike DiPietro stopped 26 of 28 shots, plus all three in the shootout, in Saturday’s win.

— Oskar Steen scored twice on Friday and once on Saturday. He has six goals in his last six games.

— Providence leads the AHL with 15 shorthanded goals.

— Mason Lohrei had two assists and was plus-four on Friday night.

— Good work on the forecheck by Joey Abate paved the way for Georgii Merkulov’s 26th goal of the season on Saturday.

— Jaxon Nelson scored his first goal as a pro on Sunday and Jimmy Lambert scored his first goal as a Providence Bruin on Friday.

BAD

— Providence squandered a 4-1 lead in the third period on Friday night and a 2-0 lead nearly halfway through the game on Sunday.

— Not a great weekend for special teams. Providence went 0 for 11 on the power play and allowed four goals in 11 times shorthanded.

UGLY

— Injured: Alec Regula, Fabian Lysell

After taking a pass from Georgii Merkulov (in the background), Jayson Megna tucks the puck past Rochester goalie Devon Levi for Providence’s second goal on Saturday night. (Photo courtesy of Providence Bruins)

The results were mixed for the injury depleted Providence Bruins this weekend. They didn’t win either of their games, but they did earn two points in a pair of overtime losses.

Every team goes through injuries and with regulars Alec Regula, Fabian Lysell and Reilly Walsh out, Providence’s lineup is much thinner than it was a couple of weeks ago.

There’s no sugarcoating Friday night’s result. The P-Bruins did not play well in a 3-2 OT loss at Lehigh Valley. They were much better at home on Saturday, but fell to the Rochester Americans in overtime, 3-2.

“It was a great response. We deserved a better fate, for sure. (Devon Levi) was outstanding – he made some unbelievable saves. The first period, early on, we should have been up by four,” said coach Ryan Mougenel after Saturday’s game.

“Did we outplay them? For sure. Did we manage the game better? I don’t think so. That’s something that needs to be addressed. When you’re holding onto a lead and you have the ability to get inside and win a puck – these are some of the things we’re looking for in our players. Especially, because we’re a bit shorthanded right now. We need guys that don’t normally do stuff like that, to do that.

“The game-tying goal, it’s not that it’s a mistake. It’s a competitive lapse. Those are tough, but lesson learned. Our back end had some youth to it and I think they did a real good job of responding the right way.”

Here’s the good, bad and ugly.

GOOD

— With six games left in the regular season, Providence is 38-19-6-3 and has 85 points. They are in second place in the Atlantic Division, four points ahead of the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins  and Charlotte Checkers. The P-Bruins have a game in hand on both teams and remain in good position to earn a bye in the first round of the Calder Cup playoffs if they take care of business.

— Jayson Megna is on fire with 4-6-10 in his last five games. He earned the primary assist on Ian Mitchell’s power play goal on Saturday and then finished off a pretty passing play for a goal in the second period. It was a well-executed setup as Anthony Richard hit Georgii Merkulov with a pass and Merkulov put the puck right on Megna’s tape at the edge of the blue paint for the goal. Megna has 18-33-51 in 64 games.

— Anthony Richard had a goal on Friday and two helpers on Saturday. He has 5-4-9 in his last six games and 25-26-51 in 54 games for the season.

— Oskar Steen came back from a facial injury to score a goal on Friday. He has three goals in his last three games.

— Ian Mitchell made a nice pass to Anthony Richard for a power play goal on Friday and scored a power play goal himself on Saturday.

— The power play went 1 for 1 on Friday and 1 for 3 on Saturday.

— Saturday’s home game drew a crowd of 10,006.

BAD

— The team arrived home from Pennsylvania at 3 a.m. on Saturday, then 16 hours later had to face a Rochester team that had Friday night off.

— The P-Bruins frittered away a 2-0 first period lead against the Phantoms.

— They were outshot, 33-15, against Lehigh Valley.

— Three of Providence’s six defensemen on Saturday were rookies. One of them was playing college hockey a couple of weeks ago and one has spent the season in the ECHL. No disrespect to anyone, but it’s very hard to win in the AHL with inexperienced D.

— John Farinacci’s gone 13 games without a goal. Trevor Kuntar doesn’t have a point in his last 11 games.

UGLY

— Injured: Alec Regula, Fabian Lysell, Reilly Walsh

Any way you slice it, two wins in three road games is a good week.

That’s what the Providence Bruins did last week, with the first victory coming against the AHL’s best-by-a-mile team, the Hershey Bears.

Missing two important players in Alec Regula and Fabian Lysell, the P-Bruins rolled into Hershey last Tuesday night and beat the 12-time Calder Cup champions, 4-1, sending a crowd of 10,000 home disappointed.

The road show moved on to Utica on Friday night and Providence beat the Comets, 7-4.

On Saturday night, the P-Bruins looked like they didn’t have a lot left in the tank as they lost, 4-0, to the Syracuse Crunch, who are in first place in the North Division.

Here’s the good, bad and ugly.

GOOD

— With Friday’s win, the P-Bruins clinched a spot in the Calder Cup playoffs. This will be their 10^th straight trip to the playoffs. They’ve missed the postseason only five times since the team took the ice in 1992-93.

— As of Monday, Providence was in second place in the Atlantic Division with a 38-19-4-3 record and 83 points. With eight games left in the regular season, they are six points ahead of the third-place Charlotte Checkers, who have seven games left. Providence remains in the driver’s seat to earn a bye in the first round of the playoffs.

— Jayson Megna was a standout in Hershey and Utica. Against the Bears he took a crosscheck in the back from Dylan McIlrath to score Providence’s first goal and added a pair of assists.

He was a factor at both ends of the ice in Utica, with 2-2-4, including a shorthanded goal. He made a fantastic play on the shorty, receiving a pass in his skates, kicking it up to his stick, then going forehand-backhand for the finish, all while skating at high speed.

Later in the game, after coming back to the defensive zone to break up two Utica rushes, he sent Marc McLaughlin in for a breakaway goal.

— Anthony Richard had a goal in Hershey and 2-2-4 in Utica.

— It looked like 23-goal scorer Graeme Clarke was going to give Utica the lead in the opening minutes on Friday, but Brandon Bussi of the P-Bruins made another one of those fabulous saves where he goes side to side and denies what looks like a sure goal.

— The P-Bruins were sour over the questionable and unpenalized hit by Syracuse’s Daniel Walcott that injured Alec Regula on March 24, so it was no surprise that Dan Renouf, Regula’s defense partner, went right at Walcott and dropped the gloves in the opening minutes on Saturday.

— Oskar Steen scored twice against Utica. He has five goals in his last eight games.

— In addition to his usual strong defensive work, Mike Callahan skated in from the point, took a nice pass from Georgii Merkulov, and scored the goal that turned out to be the game-winner against Hershey.

— Marc McLaughlin scored goals against the Bears and the Comets.

— The P-Bruins had one of their best penalty kills of the season in the third period in Hershey. Down two players for a full two minutes, Brandon Bussi, Mike Callahan, Dan Renouf, Patrick Brown, Reilly Walsh, Jayson Megna and Ian Mitchell held the fort.

— Mike DiPietro made 25 saves and allowed no goals in the second period on Saturday.

— Hershey’s Clay Stevenson has the AHL’s best save percentage, but the P-Bruins lit him up for three goals on four shots on the second period.

— The P-Bruins got some very good breaks from the referees in Hershey. They had eight power plays to only four for the Bears.

BAD

— Oskar Steen was poked in the face by the stick of Utica goalie Nico Daws in the third period on Friday. Incredibly, there was no call on the play. As Steen writhed in pain on the ice, the Comets took the puck down to the other end and scored.

— Providence was outshot, 25-6, in the second period on Saturday night. The total of 38 shots against Mike DiPietro were the most he’s faced this season.

— Sitting on a 5-1 lead in the third period, Providence allowed three goals in under six minutes against the Comets before Jayson Megna stopped the bleeding with an empty-net goal.

— Tough defensive zone turnover by Brett Harrison led to Utica’s first goal on Friday.

UGLY

— Injured: Fabian Lysell, Alec Regula, Oskar Steen

The Providence Bruins didn’t win either of their games over the weekend, but they did manage to earn two out of four points by losing in overtime and in a shootout.

On Saturday, the P-Bruins gave up a one-goal lead in the third period before losing, 3-2, in OT to the Charlotte Checkers. On Sunday, Providence came from behind to tie the game in the third period, but then lost in the shootout, 3-2, to the Syracuse Crunch. Both games were at home.

“From a staff perspective, our overall feeling is we played really hard and had a lot of chances. We just didn’t finish. That happens sometimes, but I liked our effort a lot more (Sunday) than I did (Saturday), for sure,” said coach Ryan Mougenel after Sunday’s game.

“We’re just not finding the greasy goals that we were early on. We’ve got to get back to that, a little bit more of a workman’s mentality and maybe not be so fine at times offensively.”

Providence now hits the road for games in Hershey, Utica, Syracuse and Lehigh Valley. They are third in the AHL with a points percentage of .667 on the road.

“I think it’s good for the team, for sure, to be on the road and be around each other, enjoy each other and get back to having some fun and playing the way we need to play to have success,” said Mougenel.

Here’s the good, bad and ugly.

GOOD

— Providence continues to hold tight to second place in the Atlantic Division – and a bye in the opening round of the playoffs — with a 36-18-4-3 record with 11 games left in the regular season. They are six points ahead of the third-place Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins with two games in hand.

— Brandon Bussi made 45 saves on Saturday night. It was the second straight game in which he stopped over 40 shots.

— John Farinacci assisted on both Providence goals on Saturday night.

— Against Charlotte, Reilly Walsh scored his third goal in three games.

— Anthony Richard scored a goal and had six shots against Syracuse.

— Providence’s power play went 2 for 3 on Saturday and scored the game-tying goal on Sunday.

BAD

— Daniel Walcott of Syracuse knocked Alec Regula out of the game with an unpenalized hit along the boards late in the second period on Sunday, then Walcott declined to answer the bell when challenged by Dan Renouf, Regula’s defense partner. It wouldn’t be a surprise if Walcott hears from the league about the hit.

— Providence gave up 48 shots against the Checkers and was outshot in the first period, 18-6.

— The P-Bruins have lost their last three games — one in regulation time, one in overtime and one in a shootout.

— The offense, which is tied for fifth in the AHL with 205 goals, has scored only two goals in each of the last three games.

UGLY

— Injured: Fabian Lysell, Alec Regula.

Lysell, second on the team in scoring with 15-35-50 in 55 games, and Regula, who has an AHL-best plus-36, are important players for Providence.

“He’s gonna miss, probably, significant time, I would imagine. It’s disappointing. He was starting to play really well,” Mougenel said of Lysell.

Honestly, the Providence Bruins were fortunate to come away from the weekend with two out of four points.

They were outplayed on Friday but stole a 4-3 shootout win over the Lehigh Valley Phantoms thanks to goalie Brandon Bussi.

On Saturday, the P-Bruins grabbed an early 2-0 lead but then gave up five straight goals (the last one was an empty-netter) in a 5-2 loss to the Phantoms.

“There were a lot of passengers (on Saturday). Our team is not built to have passengers. We’ve done a great job this year of building a team game. I didn’t like some of the individual play. I didn’t like some of the guys’ juice, to be honest with you,” said coach Ryan Moungenel after Saturday’s game.

“We’re looking for guys that are going to play in the playoffs and battle in the playoffs. From an organizational standpoint, it needs to be understood that some of them that we count on can’t play like that. It’s got to get better and it’s going to be addressed this week.”

Here’s the good, bad and ugly.

GOOD

— The P-Bruins finished the weekend with a solid hold on second place in the Atlantic Division with a 36-18-3-2 record and 77 points. They are eight points ahead of third-place Wilkes-Barre/Scranton with 13 games to go.

— Brandon Bussi stopped 39 shots plus three more in the shootout on Friday. The save he made on Adam Brooks early in the third period might have been his best of the season. He’s now 3-0 against Lehigh Valley.

— Providence’s second goal on Friday – Fabian Lysell to Jayson Megna to Georgii Merkulov for a tap-in off the rush – was a thing of beauty.

— Vincent Arseneau was a presence, to say the least, on Saturday night. He fought Phantoms’ heavyweight Garrett Wilson after a big (and somehow unpenalized) hit on Trevor Kuntar in the first period. When a melee broke out in the third period, Arseneau buckled 6-foot-4 Will Zmolek with an explosive left.

— Reilly Walsh scored twice and was plus-three on Friday night.

— Georgii Merkulov had a goal and an assist both nights, plus the only shootout goal on Friday. After scoring 24 goals and 55 points in 67 games as a rookie, Merkulov has 25 goals and 55 points in 54 games this year. He is now fourth in the AHL in points.

— Fabian Lysell had two assists on both Friday and Saturday. He had 14-23-37 in 54 games as a rookie. He is up to 15-34-49 in 55 games this year.

— Providence is third in the AHL with 201 goals for.

BAD

— The P-Bruins simply had no answer for Lehigh Valley’s line of Olle Lycksell (0-4), Tanner Laczynski (3-1) and Adam Brooks (2-3) on Saturday.

— Providence was outshot 42-21, including 17-4 in the third period, on Friday, and 39-31 on Saturday.

— Anthony Richard was minus-four on Saturday. Georgii Merkulov and Ian Mitchell were minus-three.

— The refereeing duo of Justin Kea and Samuel Heidemann worked both games, with predictable results. In addition to questionable penalties and missed calls, they disallowed a goal that should have counted and allowed a goal that shouldn’t have counted on Friday night. For good measure, they slapped a game misconduct for abuse of officials on Lehigh’s Adam Ginning at the final horn on Saturday.

UGLY

— Cooper Marody’s two-handed hack caught Providence’s Joey Abate in the face with 13:10 left on Friday. No call.

— Injured: Alec Regula