Trevor Kuntar deposits the puck in the Charlotte net for a shorthanded goal on Sunday after a gaffe by goalie Spencer Knight. (Photo courtesy of Providence Bruins)

The Providence Bruins are rolling.

They swept their three games over the weekend and have now won four in a row and gone 13-2-1 for 27 of 32 possible points since a 7-3 loss at Toronto on Dec. 20.

Night in and night out, a balanced offensive attack and good goaltending have added up to success.

Brandon Bussi made 32 saves on Friday and 27 on Sunday, including some big ones before Providence pulled away in the third period. Michael DiPietro stopped 31 shots on Saturday.

“Bussi and Michael both have given us a chance to win almost every game we’ve played and that’s all you can ask of the goaltenders,” coach Ryan Mougenel said after Sunday’s win.

Providence started the weekend with a 6-3 win at home over the Bridgeport Islanders. In a rematch on the road on Saturday, the P-Bruins beat the Islanders, 3-1. Back at home on Sunday, Providence won going away over the Charlotte Checkers, 6-1.

Here’s the good, bad and ugly.

GOOD

— With a record of 26-13-3-2 and 57 points, the P-Bruins are second in points in the Atlantic Division, the Eastern Conference and the AHL.

— Justin Brazeau had 1-1-2 and was plus-4 on Friday. He scored twice, both on net-front deflections, and was plus-3 on Sunday. With 16 goals, he has equaled his goal total for last season. He is among the league leaders with plus-21.

“He’s fantastic at (tipping shots). He’s got tons of courage to get there,” said Mougenel.

— Mason Lohrei recorded three assists and was plus-4 against Charlotte. He has 1-9-10 and plus-10 in 13 AHL games.

— Anthony Richard scored a goal in all three games, including the shorthanded game-winner on Saturday night. Only seven players in the AHL have more than Richard’s 18 goals.

— Fabian Lysell assisted on four of Providence’s first five goals on Friday.

— Brandon Bussi has won seven starts in a row. Mikey DiPietro has won five of his last six.

— The power play scored twice on Friday and contributed a key insurance goal on Sunday.

— Providence scored shorthanded goals on Saturday and Sunday.

— Attendance on Sunday was 8,131. It was the fifth 8,000-plus crowd in a row.

— Trevor Kuntar had a good weekend. He didn’t hesitate to fight Bridgeport’s Jeff Kubiak on Friday despite Kubiak’s edge in size. On Sunday, Kuntar received a gift from his former Boston College teammate, Spencer Knight, and steered the puck into the open net for a shorthanded goal in the second period after the Charlotte goalie turned it over.

— Frederic Brunet’s goal on Friday was his first as a pro.

— John Farinacci scored twice on Friday.

— Brett Harrison held his ground in front of the net and scored a goal on Saturday night and made a perfect seam pass to Anthony Richard for a power play goal on Sunday.

— Ian Mitchell scored a goal, added two helpers and was plus-4 on Sunday.

BAD

— With the P-Bruins ahead, 5-1, in the last minute of the second period on Friday, Vincent Arseneau took a charging penalty for bowling over Bridgeport goalie Jakub Skarek behind the net. There was no need for a play like that given the score and time left in the game.

— Trevor Kuntar is tied for second in the AHL with 22 minor penalties.

UGLY

— Injured: Dan Renouf

Mason Lohrei and fans celebrate his overtime goal against Bridgeport on Sunday afternoon. (Photo courtesy of Providence Bruins)

The Providence Bruins continued their good play over the last week as they won two out of three games and pocketed four of six points.

At Wilkes-Barre/Scranton on Wednesday night, the P-Bruins erased a one-goal deficit and beat the Penguins, 3-2. Moving on to Syracuse on Friday, Providence lost, 4-2, to the Crunch. Returning home Sunday against Bridgeport, the P-Bruins fell behind early but rallied for a 2-1 overtime win against the Islanders.

Here’s the good, bad and ugly.

GOOD

— As of Sunday night, Providence was in second place in the Atlantic Division and the Eastern Conference with a record of 23-13-3-2, good for 51 points. Since losing in Toronto on Dec. 20, they are 10-2-1 for 21 of a possible 26 points.

— Mason Lohrei and Johnny Beecher were demoted from Boston on Saturday and, to their credit, both came to play on Sunday. Beecher scored in the first period and Lohrei buried the winner in overtime in a 2-1 victory.

— Fabian Lysell’s best assets were on display as he scored the game-winner against Wilkes-Barre/Scranton. Lysell used his speed to find open ice, took a pass from Anthony Richard and rifled a short-side wrist shot past goalie Magnus Hellberg.

— Alec Regula continues to play strong defense and lead the AHL with plus-26. Halfway through the Syracuse game he bailed out partner Frederic Brunet, who turned the puck over. Regula got his stick on a shot by a Crunch forward, deflected it out of play and negated a Grade A scoring chance.

— Justin Brazeau did the heavy lifting on Georgii Merkulov’s goal in Syracuse, protecting the puck and muscling it out to Merkulov in prime scoring position. After scoring 16 goals in 67 games last season, Brazeau is up to 13 goals in 41 games so far this year.

— Brandon Bussi has won his last five starts. He gave up a goal on Bridgeport’s second shot early in the first period, then stopped the last 24 in Sunday’s win. He kicked out 30 of 32 shots in the win on Wednesday.

— Brett Harrison made a nice play against the Penguins. He took advantage of a turnover, took the puck up ice and protected it until Georgii Merkulov swooped in and scored.

— Attendance on Sunday was 8,358. It was the third straight 8,000-plus crowd at the Amica Mutual Pavilion.

BAD

— On both the tying and winning goal for Syracuse on Friday, Mikey DiPietro was beaten high on the glove side.

— The P-Bruins were undermanned against the Crunch as Jayson Megna, Dan Renouf and Anthony Richard were unavailable.

— Gabriel Fortier of the Crunch is a first-rate flopper. He drew two penalties on Friday night.

— In Syracuse, Providence entered the final period with a one-goal lead but couldn’t hold it. They gave up the tying goal just 29 seconds into the third.

UGLY

— Providence is 30^th in the AHL on the power play at home at 12.2 percent.

Ian Mitchell and Fabian Lysell celebrate Mitchell’s overtime goal in Friday night’s come-from-behind win over Wilkes-Barre/Scranton. (Photo courtesy of Providence Bruins)

No Brandon Bussi and Georgii Merkulov? No problem.

Even without two of their top players, the Providence Bruins continued to play good hockey over the weekend as they earned five out of six points.

They started with a come-from-behind 3-2 overtime victory over the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins at home on Friday night. It was Providence’s sixth straight win.

In Hartford on Saturday, the P-Bruins came away with a point after losing to the Wolf Pack in overtime, 3-2. Back home on Sunday, Providence beat the Bridgeport Islanders, 2-0.

Here’s the good, bad and ugly.

GOOD

— Two games past the midpoint of the season, Providence is 21-12-3-2. After struggling early in the year, they are in second place in the Atlantic Division and third in the Eastern Conference.

— Anthony Richard’s speed and offensive production make him a good callup option for Boston. He recorded two assists on Friday and one on Saturday, then scored an empty-net goal on Sunday. He has points in six straight games and 10-7-17 in his last 10 games. Richard is tenth in the league in scoring with 15-17-32 in 34 games.

— Both home games drew good crowds — 8,132 on Friday night and 9,086 on Sunday afternoon.

— Mikey DiPietro earned the win against the Penguins with 22 saves, then stopped all 21 shots against the Islanders for his third shutout of the year. He is 9-2 in his last 11 starts.

— Luke Toporowski snapped a 19-game goal drought with a score that turned out to be the winner on Sunday.

— Providence was down by two goals halfway through the third period against Wilkes-Barre/Scranton before tying the game and winning in overtime.

— Reilly Walsh displayed some fancy footwork on Friday, keeping the puck in at the blueline then dodging a Penguins player, moving in and beating the goalie with a wrister.

— Every day after practice, Justin Brazeau works on net-front tips. It paid off against the Penguins as he deflected in the game-tying goal with 1:25 left.

— Patrick Brown slowed the pace and then put the puck on the tape of Ian Mitchell, who fired home the GWG in OT on Friday.

— Providence is making hay against last-place Bridgeport with a 6-1 record against the Islanders so far.

— John Farinacci had assists on both goals on Sunday.

— The P-Bruins are outscoring opponents in the second period, 44-29.

— Vincent Arseneau and 6-foot-7 Matt Rempe of Hartford went at it in a heavyweight tilt on Saturday night. Both players landed bombs with Arseneau’s last punch sending Rempe to the ice. Arseneau earned the decision on my scorecard.

— Jayson Megna scored a pretty goal in Hartford on the power play, dangling a pair of defenders and then beating the goalie.

BAD

— Word is the ice at Hartford’s XL Center was in rough shape for Saturday night’s game. UConn and Maine played a Hockey East game in the building just a few hours before the Bruins-Wolf Pack contest.

— The power-play continues to languish at home. It’s 29^th in the league at 12.5 percent.

— The P-Bruins had a one-goal lead with under 10 minutes left in Hartford before allowing the tying goal and then losing in OT. Before that, they’d been 14-1-3-0 when leading after two periods.

— Providence is 1-7-0-1 when trailing after two periods.

 UGLY

— Injured: Georgii Merkulov (day to day)

Rookie John Farinacci buried the decisive goal in the shootout on Saturday and scored Providence’s first goal on Sunday. (Photo courtesy of Providence Bruins)

It’s been an up-and-down season for the Providence Bruins, but the arrow is pointing straight up right now.

The P-Bruins won both their games against the Springfield Thunderbirds over the weekend, extending their winning streak to five games.

They started with a 4-3 road victory in a shootout on Saturday night. Back home on Sunday, they nearly ran the Thunderbirds out of the building with four first period goals on the way to a 6-3 win.

It’s been a streaky first half. Since Thanksgiving they’ve won seven in a row, lost four in a row, then won six of seven.

“There’s been an influx of players. We’ve had a lot of turnover and I think now you’re starting to see some of the details come into our game and guys understanding that we want to play the right way, and part of it is because when you go up to the Bruins, that’s the expectation,” said coach Ryan Mougenel.

Here’s the good, bad and ugly.

GOOD

— Brandon Bussi delivered in the clutch on Saturday night. He stopped all six Springfield players in the shootout, including Adam Gaudette, the AHL’s leading goal scorer.

— As of the end of the day on Sunday, Providence was in second place in the Atlantic Division and third place in the Eastern Conference.

— The line of Jayson Megna between Anthony Richard and Patrick Brown was dominant on Sunday. Richard had 2-1-3, Brown had three assists and Megna had 1-1-2. Richard has goals in three straight games and nine goals in his last seven games.

“The biggest thing with them is they play the right way. They feed off of each other and they’re connected all the time. You put a guy like Brownie in the lineup – we’re fortunate to have a player like Brownie come down and Megs and Richard — they complement each other very well,” said Mougenel.

— Providence trailed 0-2 in the first period on Saturday before battling back with three goals in 3:14 in the second period and going on to win in the shootout.

— John Farinacci scored the winner in the shootout on Saturday and tallied Providence’s first goal of the game on Sunday. He’s eighth in rookie scoring with 8-16-24 in 35 games.

— On his first shift in Saturday’s game, Providence’s Joey Abate went right after Keean Washkurak and took on the Springfield forward in a spirited fight. It was a reply to Washkurak’s bout with Fabian Lysell last week.

— Frederic Brunet put a perfect pass on the stick of Ian Mitchell for a goal on Sunday. It was Mitchell’s first goal of the season.

— Credit to Georgii Merkulov, who showed no signs of sulking after returning from his short stint in Boston. He played hard and recorded three assists in the two games. As of Sunday night, he was tied for third in the AHL with 14-19-33 in 33 games.

— Fabian Lysell’s recent good play continued. He scored a goal on Saturday and earned an assist on Sunday and has points in six straight games (3-6-9).

— Slowly but surely, the power play is getting better. The P-Bruins have scored at least one PP goal in the last five games. It’s up to 20^th in the league at 17.9 percent.

— Brett Harrison scored a goal on Saturday and set up John Farinacci for a score on Sunday with a smart pass.

— Providence took a total of only five minor penalties in their two games.

BAD

— Scoring slumps continue for Luke Toporowski and Marc McLaughlin. Toporowski has gone 17 games without a goal. McLaughlin doesn’t have a goal in his last 15 games.

UGLY

— There’s not much ugly this weekend, but Providence was outshot, 16-5, in the third period on Sunday.

Anthony Richard has six goals in his last five games. (Photo courtesy of Providence Bruins)

The Providence Bruins finished the calendar year on a high note as they rolled to three straight road victories in the final week of 2023.

They started with a 5-4 win over the Bridgeport Islanders on Wednesday. They moved on to Utica and recorded a 5-2 victory against the Comets on Friday. And then on Saturday night, in front of a sellout crowd in Springfield, Providence handed the Thunderbirds an 8-2 beating.

While the first three months of the season have been a rollercoaster, the P-Bruins at 17-12-2-2 held down second place in the Atlantic Division and third place in the Eastern Conference as the week and the year came to an end.

Here’s the good, bad and ugly.

GOOD

— Georgii Merkulov scored a goal and added an assist on Wednesday. His strong play with and without the puck earned him a well-deserved callup to Boston.

— Anthony Richard had a very good week with 2-1-3 in Bridgeport and 1-2-3 in Springfield. He has six goals in his last five games.

— Fabian Lysell had one of his best games of the season in Utica with two goals and an assist. His pass to Jesper Boqvist for a goal in the final minutes of the second period against the Comets was a beauty. Lysell finished the week with 2-4-6 in the three games. He got his first AHL fighting major under his belt, too, as he took on Keean Washkurak in Springfield.

— Jesper Boqvist had two goals against Utica and 1-2-3 in Springfield. He has 7-6-13 in his last eight games.

— Justin Brazeau has 2-6-8 in his last six games.

— Alec Regula was plus-two in Bridgeport, plus-three in Utica and plus-four in Springfield. He leads the AHL with plus-25. His D partner Dan Renouf was also plus-four on Saturday is second in the league with plus-18.

— In his 100^th AHL game on Wednesday, Mike Callahan scored his first two goals of the season.

— Mikey DiPietro stopped 37 shots, including 19 in the third period, in the win in Utica.

— Brandon Bussi recorded wins in both of his starts. He denied Zachary Bolduc on a penalty shot on Saturday after Lysell hauled down Bolduc.

— Just down from Boston, Patrick Brown had a goal and an assist and six shots against the Thunderbirds.

— Rookie defenseman Ethan Ritchie scored his first AHL goal in his third game on Saturday.

— The power play went 5 for 13 in the three games, including 3 for 6 on Saturday.

— The eight goals in Springfield was a season-high.

— Springfield goalie Vadim Zherenko beat Providence twice in October, but has been pulled in his last two starts against the P-Bruins. He gave up four goals on 15 shots in just over one period on Nov. 10 and five goals on 23 shots in half the game on Saturday.

— Every skater in the Providence lineup had at least one shot on goal against Utica.

— They went 9-4-1 in the month of December while playing 10 road games. They are 12-7-1-0 on the road.

BAD

— Providence has allowed 103 goals in 33 games. Only four teams have yielded more.

— They’ve given up an AHL-high 987 shots on goal.

— The P-Bruins are only 5-5-1-2 at home.

UGLY

— Injured: Jakub Zboril

Georgii Merkulov has 9-9-18 in his last 13 games and is fourth in the AHL in scoring with 28 points in 30 games. (Photo courtesy of Providence Bruins)

‘Twas the week before Christmas and the Providence Bruins made the rounds from Toronto to Rochester to Hershey, with middling results, before finally hitting the holiday break.

They started with a 7-3 loss against the Toronto Marlies on Wednesday, a game that got away from the P-Bruins in the third period.

Then it was on to Rochester, where Providence dug deep for a come-from-behind 6-3 win on Friday that snapped a four-game losing streak. Unfortunately, they lost Dan Renouf, who took a skate near his eye.

The team hit the road to Hershey, arriving in the wee hours. On Saturday, Providence was undermanned on defense because of Renouf’s injury and the recall of Ian Mitchell by Boston, but they hung in and turned in a respectable performance in a 4-3 loss to a Hershey Bears team that is running away with the Atlantic Division race.

Here’s the good, bad and ugly.

GOOD

— If there is a better player than Georgii Merkulov in the American Hockey League right now, well, please point him out to me. The second-year pro from Russia is driving his line and putting himself in good position for an NHL callup.

He had 1-1-2 against the Marlies and 2-1-3 against the Americans. Merkulov has 9-9-18 in his last 13 games and has moved up to fourth in the AHL in scoring with 13-15-28 in 30 games.

— Of course, Merkulov’s linemates, Justin Brazeau and Jesper Boqvist, are a big part of his success.

Brazeau had a goal and an assist in Toronto and two helpers in Rochester. He is tied for second on the team in scoring with 9-11-20 and plus-11 in 30 games.

Boqvist had a goal and an assist in both Toronto and Rochester. His goal on Friday was the game-winner. He has 7-11-18 games in 28 games.

— Anthony Richard scored twice against Rochester and once in Hershey.

— Trevor Kuntar took advantage of a turnover and scored on a quick wrister to give the P-Bruins the lead in Rochester. He was his typical snarly self in all three games, to the point where Hershey’s fearsome Dylan McIlrath was looking to get a piece of him on Saturday.

— Reilly Walsh had 1-1-2 against Hershey.

— Joey Abate’s hustle led to Vincent Arseneau’s goal on Saturday. Abate had a good bout with Brendan Warren of the Americans on Friday.

— Providence outshot Toronto, 17-2, in the first period on Wednesday night.

BAD

— Since winning seven in a row, Providence has gone 1-4-1 and been outscored, 29-17.

— Using three raw rookies on defense – two of them just up from the ECHL and another who probably would be well-served by spending some time there – is not a formula for AHL success, especially when you are playing the league’s best team on the road in front of a big Saturday night crowd. But the P-Bruins really had little choice but to use Frederic Brunet, Ryan Mast and Ethan Ritchie on Saturday night. There was no one else. Such is life in the AHL when injuries and callups hit.

— Brandon Bussi didn’t have very much support, but in two games against Toronto, he faced 42 shots and gave up 11 goals.

— Power plays were four to one in favor of the Marlies in Toronto. Not saying Providence didn’t earn its four penalties, but not convinced the home team didn’t deserve more than one.

— Luke Toporowski has gone 12 games without a goal.

— The P-Bruins gave up a goal 69 seconds into the first period and 14 seconds into the third period against the Marlies.

UGLY

— After tying the game in the third minute of the third period in Toronto, Providence was blitzed for four straight goals and lost, 7-3. Two of the goals, 1:12 apart, were while the teams were playing four on four.

— Injured: Dan Renouf, Jakub Zboril

Fabian Lysell gets ready to fire the puck for Providence’s only goal on Sunday. (Photo courtesy of Providence Bruins)

After winning seven straight from Nov. 24 to Dec. 9, the Providence Bruins have fallen fell back to earth, earning only one point in their last three games.

They started their week on Wednesday with a 3-2 road loss in overtime against the defending Calder Cup champion Hershey Bears. That turned out to be the high point.

Back home on Friday, Providence was blown out, 8-2, by the Toronto Marlies. The P-Bruins had the night off Saturday, but rest didn’t help. The Syracuse Crunch, who did play on Saturday and traveled from Utica after their game, beat the low-energy P-Bruins, 4-1, on Sunday.

At 13-10-2-2, Providence was tied with Springfield for fourth place in the Atlantic Division at the end of the day on Sunday.

Here’s the good, bad and ugly.

GOOD

— The positive news concerning the power play, which is 23rd in the AHL, is that it produced a goal against Hershey, two against the Marlies and one on Sunday against Syracuse.

— Joey Abate had a good game in Hershey with a goal and four shots. He was fortunate that his wrist was not broken on a reckless slash by Mike Sgarbossa in the second period. A two-minute penalty was called on the play, but it easily could have been a major and a suspension.

On Friday, Abate took issue with a hit on John Farinacci by Matteo Pietroniro of the Marlies and fought the Marlies defenseman.

— With a goal on Friday, Georgii Merkulov scored in his fourth straight game.

— Luke Toporowski made a good play to take the puck to the net hard in the first period on Friday and Jayson Megna scored on the rebound.

BAD

— Friday night wasn’t a good one for either of Providence’s goalies. Starter Mikey DiPietro gave up three goals on 12 shots. Brandon Bussi allowed five goals on 17 shots.

— Reilly Walsh was minus-four and Mike Callahan and Georgii Merkulov were minus-three against the Marlies.

— Providence generated only 23 shots in Sunday’s game.

— The P-Bruins face a tough week on the road. In the middle of playing 15 games in 30 days, they play at Toronto on Wednesday, at Rochester on Friday and at Hershey on Saturday.

— They don’t play at home again until Jan. 7.

— The power play is 26th in the league at home. I blame the fans who yell, “Shoooot.” You know who you are.

— They’ve given up 81 goals. Only seven teams have allowed more.

UGLY

— The P-Bruins scored the first goal and the last goal on Friday night, but in between Toronto put eight goals on the board. The 8-2 loss was Providence’s most one-sided in recent memory.

— The penalty kill gave up two goals against Toronto and one against Hershey and Syracuse. The PK continues to be the worst in the AHL at 74 percent.

Timely scoring, stout defense and good goaltending can carry a team a long way.

That was the formula for the Providence Bruins over the weekend as they extended their winning streak to seven games with a pair of road victories.

They opened with a 2-0 win against the Lehigh Valley Phantoms on Friday night. The P-Bruins moved on to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton on Saturday and beat the Penguins, 5-1.

At 13-8-1-2, Providence was third in the Atlantic Division as of Sunday and was within four points of the second-place Hartford Wolf Pack.

Here’s the good, bad and ugly.

GOOD

— The line of Georgii Merkulov between Jesper Boqvist and Justin Brazeau was on fire on Saturday night. The trio accounted for all five Providence goals, with Merkulov putting up 2-3-5, Boqvist 2-2-4 and Brazeau 1-1-2. All three were plus-five.

— If Boston needs a center after the injury on Saturday to Pavel Zacha, my choice would be Georgii Merkulov. He leads the team in scoring with 8-13-21 in 24 games. More important, he’s been really good away from the puck, which was not a strength a year ago.

Merkulov scored the game-winner and added an assist against the Phantoms the night before lighting it up with two goals and three helpers against the Penguins.

— Justin Brazeau has points in five straight games and has 3-4-7 in that span.

— Providence is getting some of the best goaltending in the league. Mikey DiPietro stopped all 19 shots for his second shutout of the year on Friday. His .925 save percentage was fifth in the league as of Sunday. Brandon Bussi kicked out 30 of 31 shots on Saturday. He has a .921 save percentage.

— Defenseman Alec Regula was plus-three on Saturday and led the AHL with plus-16 in 21 games going into Sunday’s games. Right behind him is Dan Renouf with plus-14 in 21 games.

— Reilly Walsh had a good weekend. He gave Providence some breathing room with a power-play goal against Lehigh Valley, then was credited with two assists on Sunday, including a perfect pass to Georgii Merkulov for a breakaway goal against Wilkes-Barre/Scranton.

— The P-Bruins outshot Lehigh Valley in the first period, 11-2.

BAD

— Providence is playing 14 games in 30 days in the month of December.

— The penalty kill is 31^st in the league at 75 percent.

UGLY

— The team arrived back in Providence at 3 a.m. on Sunday. Could have been worse, I guess, but that’s ugly.

Anthony Richard barrels to the net against Bridgeport. He scored a goal and an assist on Friday and two goals on Saturday. (Photo courtesy of Providence Bruins)

Since an ugly loss in Hartford on the night before Thanksgiving, the Providence Bruins have ripped off five straight wins.

They earned six out of six points over the weekend by winning all three of their games.

On Friday, Providence scored five goals in the second period on the way to a 6-3 home win over the Bridgeport Islanders. One night later, the P-Bruins came from behind in the third period for a 4-3 victory at Bridgeport. They finished the weekend with a gritty 3-2 win at home over the Lehigh Valley Phantoms.

The buy-in on Sunday, in the team’s third game in less than 72 hours, was impressive.

“I think it was contagious. You’re starting to see a team grow an identity and it’s those little things that are so important in winning games. Maybe two weeks ago we don’t win a game like that,” said coach Ryan Mougenel.

“The buy-in’s been amazing. There’s been a lot of good things, a lot of good teaching moments. Listen, it hasn’t been easy. It’s been the hardest, probably, we’ve been on the guys in the last two weeks. It’s great to see them respond the way they did. They played winning hockey this weekend.”

Here’s the good, bad and ugly.

GOOD

— Providence was near the bottom in the Atlantic Division just a few weeks ago, but they finished the weekend in third place with a record of 11-8-1-2 and 25 points.

— It was a very strong first weekend for Patrick Brown. He scored a goal on Friday, his clean win on an offensive zone draw led to the game-winner on Saturday and he was good on the penalty kill in all three games.

— Parker Wotherspoon had a goal and an assist on Friday and two assists on Saturday.

— Alec Regula had two assists on Friday and a goal and a helper on Sunday. His plus-13 is tied for second in the AHL.

— Anthony Richard had his best weekend of the season with a goal and an assist on Friday and two goals on Saturday.

— Justin Brazeau had two assists on Friday and scored goals on Saturday and Sunday. He leads the team with seven goals.

— From his knees, Brett Harrison scored his first pro goal on Friday and added a goal and an assist on Saturday. Nothing fancy or flashy, just hard-working goals scored from close range.

— They received solid goaltending from Mikey DiPietro and Brandon Bussi in the three weekend wins.

— They scored five goals on nine shots on Bridgeport’s Jakub Skarek in the second period on Friday.

— Vincent Arseneau came out of the penalty box and gave the team a lift by scoring a goal off the rush in the first period on Sunday.

— Joey Abate provided a spark with an early fight on Friday and late in the game engaged Bridgeport’s Seth Helgeson in a bout after the Islander captain threw a hard hit on Mason Lohrei.

BAD

— The P-Bruins lead the league in power play opportunities with 101, but the power play is 25^th at 14.9 percent.

— Referee Justin Kea had to dig deep to find the hooking penalty he called on Anthony Richard with 30 seconds left in Saturday’s game. Just a terrible call. And this guy works NHL games!

— Providence will play 10 of its next 12 games on the road.

UGLY

— The penalty kill is the worst in the league at 73.4 percent. Providence gave up a power play goal in each of this weekend’s games.

— Injured: Fabian Lysell, Reilly Walsh

Joey Abate scored his first goal of the season in Hartford on Wednesday and added an assist. (Photo courtesy of Providence Bruins)

All’s well that ends well. After starting the week with a deflating fourth-straight loss, the Providence Bruins rebounded with a pair of much-needed one-goal wins.

In the first game of the week on the night before Thanksgiving, the P-Bruins blew a two-goal lead in the third period on the way to a kick-in-the-crotch 6-4 loss to the Wolf Pack in Hartford.

On Friday in Pennsylvania, Providence pulled out a 2-1 overtime victory over the Lehigh Valley Phantoms. The road trip ended on a positive note with a 2-1 win against the Bridgeport Islanders on Saturday night.

Here’s the good, bad and ugly.

GOOD

— The P-Bruins got back to .500 on Saturday night at 8-8-1-2. They went 7-5 in November. They are in seventh place in the Atlantic Division but are only two points away from third place.

— Brandon Bussi stole a win against Lehigh Valley as he stopped 41 of 42 shots. Mikey DiPietro was outstanding in the 2-1 victory in Bridgeport with 35 saves.

— Fabian Lysell scored the game-winner on both Friday and Saturday. Both goals were on the power play.

— Georgii Merkulov’s diligent work at both ends of the ice continues to be impressive. His pass to Fabian Lysell for the OT winner on Friday was a thing of beauty.

— After a long streak of futility (0 for 19), the power play delivered in the clutch with a pair of PP goals against Lehigh Valley and another one in Bridgeport.

— John Farinacci had two primary assists in Hartford and scored Providence’s first goal in Bridgeport. He leads the team in scoring with 6-9-15 in 19 games.

— John Farinacci and Dan Renouf, who made a nice pass to Farinacci for a goal on Saturday, are both plus-10. That’s an impressive number on a team that has given up more goals (57) that it’s scored (55).

— Joey Abate had a strong game against the Wolf Pack. He scored his first goal of the season, recorded an assist, had four shots and was plus-two.

— Trevor Kuntar recorded two assists and was plus-two against the Wolf Pack.

— Luke Toporowski had a goal and an assist in Hartford. With six goals, he is tied with John Farinacci and Fabian Lysell for the team lead.

BAD

— Providence gave up a goal with three seconds left in the first period against the Wolf Pack. It was a sign of things to come.

— Bounces that went Providence’s way were hard to come by in the third period in Hartford. With the P-Bruins up, 4-2, Alex Belzile’s pass ramped off Jakub Zboril’s stick and into the net for a Wolf Pack goal. After that, the roof caved in on the P-Bruins.

— That was a very lame interference call that referee Riley Brace made on Alec Regula in the last minute of play on Wednesday. And, of course, given the way things were going that night for Providence, the Wolf Pack quickly potted the winning goal on the power play.

— Vincent Arseneau took an ill-advised roughing penalty in the third period against the Phantoms, who tied the game on the power play with 5:48 left.

UGLY

— The P-Bruins gave up four goals in the final 11 minutes in the loss in Hartford.

— Providence was outshot 14-1 at the start of the game against Lehigh Valley and 11-0 in the first seven minutes of the second period against Bridgeport.

— The penalty kill is 31^st in the AHL at 74.3 percent.