Brett Harrison fires the puck past Cleveland’s Jet Greaves to win the game for Providence in the shootout on Sunday. (Photo courtesy of Providence Bruins)

Shorthanded was the theme of the weekend for the Providence Bruins.

They were without top players in Anthony Richard, Justin Brazeau and Mason Lohrei, who are up with Boston and may have seen the last of the AHL if they continue their good play in the NHL.

But in the first two games of the weekend the P-Bruins scored a total of four shorthanded goals – including an absolutely ridiculous three on Friday night.

Providence ended up winning all three of its games, starting with a 4-3 overtime decision at home against the Cleveland Monsters on Friday. On Saturday, the P-Bruins went on the road and beat the Springfield Thunderbirds, 5-4. Back home on Sunday afternoon, Providence climbed out of an 0-2 hole in the first six minutes and edged Cleveland in a shootout, 4-3.

Here’s the good, bad and ugly.

GOOD

— With 19 games left, Providence holds down second place in the Atlantic Division with a 33-15-3-2 record and 71 points, nine points ahead of third-place Wilkes-Barre/Scranton. They are third overall in the AHL behind Hershey and Milwaukee.

— The P-Bruins are 16-3-1 since Jan. 1.

— Dan Renouf is a good defender not known for dangles. But he scored the goal of the season on Friday night, doing a 360-degree swivel in the slot before beating Cleveland goalie Pavel Cajan over the blocker for a dazzling shorthanded goal.

— What a weekend for Georgii Merkulov. He buried the winner in overtime on Friday, scored a goal and set up two others on Saturday, then walked a Cleveland defender and scored a highlight reel goal and added a tuck in the shootout on Sunday. Merkulov is third in the AHL with 21-28-49 in 48 games.

— With three shorthanded goals on Friday and another on Saturday, Providence is tied for the league lead with 12 shorthanded goals. The penalty kill outscored the power play, 4-3, in the three games.

— Springfield beat Providence three times in October when the Bruins were struggling. Since then, Providence has beaten the T-Birds five straight times.

— Terrific performance on Sunday by Brandon Bussi, who came on in relief of Mike DiPietro just over five minutes into the first period and kicked out 32 of 33 shots, then two out of three in the shootout.

— Jayson Megna continued his excellent play with 1-1-2 on Friday and four assists on Saturday. He has 2-7-9 in his last six games.

— Reilly Walsh scored the GWG on a power play in Springfield on Saturday.

— The fourth line was terrific on Sunday. One highlight was an epic shift in the Cleveland end in the second period that culminated in a pretty goal – Trevor Kuntar to Joey Abate to Vincent Arseneau – that tied the game at two.

— Vince Arseneau had a good fight against Springfield’s Sam Bitten early in Saturday’s game, then had a goal and put a perfect backhand pass on Trevor Kuntar’s tape to earn an assist on Sunday.

— Trevor Kuntar had 1-1-2 and deposited a Cleveland player into his own bench with a big hit on Sunday.

— Joey Abate had a strong weekend. He was physical and effective on the forecheck and recorded two assists on Sunday.

— Frederic Brunet had a goal and an assist on Saturday. He got a lucky break on the goal when his shot ramped off the stick of a Springfield defender and floated past goalie Malcolm Subban.

— Brett Harrison scored his first shootout goal as a pro to win the game on Sunday.

— Providence outshot Cleveland, 18-8, in the second period on Friday and 20-9 in the second on Sunday.

— The P-Bruins have swept four three in threes this season.

— They have the most road wins in the league with 19.

BAD

— Johnny Beecher’s gone 12 straight games without a goal. He didn’t register a shot on goal on either Friday or Saturday.

— Off an offensive zone draw, the P-Bruins gave up a goal with one second left on the clock in the first period on Friday night.

— In both games against Cleveland, Providence allowed a goal with the netminder out and an extra attacker on the ice in the final two minutes of the third period.

— Providence took zero penalties on Sunday. That’s only a negative because it stopped them from scoring any more shorthanded goals.

UGLY

— Nothing ugly this weekend. Nope, not one thing.

After dancing a Cleveland defenseman, Georgii Merkulov tucks the puck into the net for Providence’s third goal on Sunday. (Photo courtesy of Providence Bruins)

Brandon Bussi and Mikey DiPietro celebrate DiPietro’s 24-save shutout against Hartford on Sunday. (Photo courtesy of Providence Bruins)

The Providence Bruins split their two games, both at home, over the weekend.

Trailing by two goals against the Bridgeport Islanders on Friday night, the P-Bruins clawed back to tie the game but lost on a late goal, 3-2. On Sunday afternoon, Providence bounced back with a very solid 3-0 win over the Hartford Wolf Pack.

“It’s good to see that we responded. I really liked our back end tonight. I thought they did a fantastic job and Michael [DiPietro] was fantastic as well,” said coach Ryan Mougenel.

Here’s the good, bad and ugly.

GOOD

— Providence remains a solid second in the Atlantic Division with a 30-15-3-2 record and 65 points. They are six points ahead of third place Wilkes-Barre/Scranton. They are one of only three teams to reach the 30-win mark so far, along with Hershey (38) and Milwaukee (33).

— After tying Friday’s game on a strong move to the net to score his career-high 18^th goal , Justin Brazeau received a well-deserved NHL contract with Boston on Sunday. It’s a two-year, two-way deal with an AAV of $775,000.

Brazeau has gotten better every year since landing in Providence in 2021. This season his plus-24 is tied for third in the league. With his imposing size, he is a load for opposition defensemen. While he won’t often be the first guy in on the forecheck, he excels at protecting the puck on the walls in the offensive zone and working the net front on the power play.

— Michael DiPietro continued his excellent play with his fourth shutout of the season on Sunday. Once Providence took the lead, DiPietro made some timely saves in the third period on the way to the win. He is 15-6 with a 2.17 goals-against average (fifth in the AHL) and a .927 save percentage (fourth in the AHL).

— Fabian Lysell failed to record a shot on Friday, but had a good game on Sunday with his 14^th goal of the season and an assist. It was his 10^th multi-point game of the season. After scoring 14 goals and 37 points in 54 games last season, he has 14-26-40 in 44 games so far this year.

— Good response from John Farinacci on Sunday. He went right after Hartford’s Mac Hollowell after a big hit on Frederic Brunet.

— Ian Mitchell had two assists on Sunday. He is plus-13 in his last nine games.

— Trevor Kuntar had a goal and five shots against the Wolf Pack.

— Alec Regula continues to lead the league with plus-31.

— Marc McLaughlin broke a streak of 28 games without a goal when he scored Providence’s first goal on Friday.

— Providence has outscored opponents in the second period, 55-35.

— The Providence Fighting Reds sweaters worn on Friday and Sunday were fabulous.

— Attendance on Sunday was 9,698.

— The P-Bruins play their first-ever home games against the Cleveland Monsters this Friday and Sunday.

BAD

— Cole Bardreau of the Islanders was left wide open to score the game-winner with 35 seconds left in the game on Friday.

— Friday’s loss snapped Providence’s streak of eight straight wins against Bridgeport.

— Providence has had the most power play opportunities in the league with 214, but its success rate on the PP is only 25^th at 16.4 percent.

UGLY

— The P-Bruins are 1-8-0-1 when trailing after two periods.

Fabian Lysell scored a goal and assisted on one on Sunday. (Photo courtesy of Providence Bruins)

Adam McQuaid, Bruins player development coordinator, was on the Providence bench this weekend. (Photo courtesy of Providence Bruins)

Coming off a very abbreviated AHL all-star break, the Providence Bruins split their two weekend games.

They lost to the best-in-the-league Hershey Bears, 3-1, at home on Friday night. They rebounded 24 hours later and beat the Wolf Pack in Hartford, 4-1.

Here’s the good, bad and ugly.

GOOD

— Providence is 29-14-3-2 for 59 points. They are second in the Atlantic Division, 13 points behind Hershey, which is running away from the rest of the league. The P-Bruins are eight points ahead of third-place Wilkes-Barre/Scranton. They are 12-2-1 since Jan. 1.

— Mikey DiPietro was an afterthought in the trade that sent Jack Studnicka from Boston to Vancouver last season, but he’s putting himself back on the map with a terrific year. He stopped 34 of 35 shots in the win at Hartford.

He is 14-6 with a goal-against average of 2.28 (seventh in the league) and a save percentage of .924 (fourth in the league).

— Fabian Lysell blocked a slapshot by Dylan McIlrath with 15:45 left in the game against Hershey. Big deal, you might say, players block shots all the time. True, but McIlrath uncorked a 100.8 mph slapper at the AHL All-Star Skills Competition a week ago, so Lysell deserves a stick tap for standing in there when the big man wound up.  

Lysell has put together a good stretch of games over the last six weeks. It stands to reason Boston is going to give him a look at some point to see what they have (and perhaps to give potential trade partners a peek). This might be a good time to do that, after two stinkers in three games by the parent club. Changing things up a bit couldn’t hurt.

— Jayson Megna had a strong game on Saturday with a shorthanded goal and an assist. He was selected as the first star.

— Taking advantage of a Hartford turnover, Justin Brazeau put a backhand pass on the tape of Georgii Merkulov, who went bar down for Providence’s first goal on Saturday night. As of Sunday morning, Merkulov was fourth in the AHL in scoring with 18-25-43 in 43 games.

— Johnny Beecher’s speed backed off the Hartford defense and helped lead to Patrick Brown’s goal early in the second period on Saturday.

— Rookie Brett Harrison got a good bounce on Friday when his shot deflected off a Hershey defenseman and into the net for his fifth goal of the year. After a slow start, the 20-year-old winger’s play has picked up. He has 2-6-8 in the last eight games.

— Attendance on Friday night was 8,578. The last six home games have drawn crowds of over 8,000. Providence is sixth in the 32-team AHL in average attendance.

BAD

— I’ve watched a lot of Providence Bruins games over the years, but can’t recall ever seeing them put the puck in their own goal from 190 feet away. Until Friday night, that is. With Providence trailing by a goal in the final minute and Brandon Bussi pulled for an extra skater, Justin Brazeau flung the puck from near the Hershey goal line toward the blue line, figuring that a teammate would be there to grab it. Instead, the puck went all the way down the ice and into the Providence net.

— Providence wasn’t able to get much going at all on offense against Hershey, managing only 13 shots.

— The P-Bruins are winless against the Hershey juggernaut this season, with three losses in regulation time, one in overtime and one in a shootout.

UGLY

— Injured: Mason Lohrei, Jakub Zboril, Frederic Brunet

After the Providence Bruins won only one of their first seven games in October, it appeared they might be in for a long season.

That idea seems almost laughable now.

The P-Bruins rolled into the AHL All-Star break with a firm grip on second place in the Atlantic Division, behind only the Hershey Bears, who are in the midst of what could be a historic season. With a record of 28-13-3-2, Providence is second in the league in points and fourth in points percentage.

This week they went to Charlotte for games on Friday and Saturday and won both by a 4-2 score, stretching their winning streak to six games. They are 15-2-1 since losing three in a row in December.

Here’s the good, bad and ugly.

GOOD

— Brandon Bussi, who stopped 26 of 28 shots in Friday’s win, has won his last eight starts. His save percentage in those games is .929.

— Michael DiPietro kicked out 35 of 37 shots on Saturday. His .921 save percentage is sixth in the AHL.

— With two assists on Friday and a goal on Saturday, Georgii Merkulov continues to lead the team and is sixth in the league with 17-25-42 in 41 games. He’ll play in the All-Star Game on Monday night in San Jose.

— Fabian Lysell scored a goal in each game. He is now second on the team with 13-25-38 in 42 games. On a team that is short on trade chips, his value is trending up.

— Off a beautiful setup by Johnny Beecher, Patrick Brown’s shorthanded goal was the winner on Friday night.

— Justin Brazeau had a goal on Friday and two assists on Saturday. His plus-23 is fifth in the AHL.

— Ian Mitchell has 1-5-6 and is plus-12 in his last five games.

— Dan Renouf scored his fourth goal of the year on Friday. That’s a career-high. He is sixth in the league with plus-22.

— Jayson Megna potted a goal in both games. He’s scored three times in the last four games.

— The P-Bruins haven’t had much trouble with Spencer Knight so far. After beating him five times last Sunday and four times on Friday, they scored twice on four shots in the first nine minutes on Saturday before he got the hook. Knight is making $4.5 million playing in the AHL this season.

— The P-Bruins are 17-8-2 on the road. Their .667 points percentage on the road is tied for fifth in the league.

BAD

— The disparity between the power play at home (28^th in the league at 14 percent) and on the road (19^th in the league at 19.1 percent) is a head-scratcher.

— Providence is 0-2-1-1 heading into their home game against mighty Hershey on Friday. It’s been close, though. Every game has been decided by one goal.

— Marc McLaughlin is without a goal in his last 26 games.

— The P-Bruins were outshot 10-2 and 16-6 in the second period in Charlotte.

UGLY

— Injured: Mason Lohrei, John Farinacci, Reilly Walsh

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