Ian Mitchell and Vinni Lettieri celebrates Mitchell’s goal, which turned out to be the game-winner on Sunday. (Photo courtesy of Providence Bruins)

It was a Sunday to remember at the AMP.

In the deciding game of the best-of-three first-round series between Providence and Springfield, the P-Bruins exploded for four third period goals in a 5-1 victory.

It was Providence’s first win in a playoff series since 2017, when they defeated the Hershey Bears, four games to two.

“Michael DiPietro made some huge stops early on,” said coach Ryan Mougenel, who was back behind the bench on Sunday after being away from the team for a couple of weeks to be with his father, Ron, who passed away last week.

“They’re an amazing group to be around,” he said of his team. “I can’t say enough about our leadership – (Patrick Brown and Tyler Pitlick) and these guys. Even (rookie Fraser) Minten, saying the right things and playing the right way.”

To get to Sunday, the P-Bruins and Thunderbirds played a pair of tight, low-scoring games. Springfield won, 2-1, at the AMP on Wednesday, then Providence prevailed, 1-0, on Vinni Lettieri’s overtime goal on the road on Friday.

Providence will move on to face the Charlotte Checkers in a best-of-five series starting in Providence on Friday night.

Here’s the good, bad and ugly.

GOOD

— Captain Patrick Brown capped an amazing series with a pair of primary assists on power play goals in Game 3, but it was his leadership that paved the way for Providence’s series win.

Providence fans are going to be talking for a long time about his Game 2 performance. With Springfield pressing around the Providence net in the third period, Brown blocked a shot with his face. With blood splashed all over his visor, he went to the locker room for repairs but quickly returned to the game, which the P-Bruins won in OT.

The blocked shot might have been the turning point in the series.

“You watch him eat that one and that’s why Brownie is our captain,” said Matt Poitras after Sunday’s win. “When you see a guy bleeding from his face and he looks at the bench and tells us to get going, you gotta listen.”

— Days after being named a First Team AHL All Star, Michael DiPietro won the Aldege “Baz” Bastien Memorial Award, which is given to the AHL’s most outstanding goaltender each season. He was brilliant in stopping all 24 Springfield shots in Game 2, then made some huge stops in the win in Game 3.

— Riley Tufte is playing his best hockey of the season. He had assists in Game 1 and 2, then scored twice in Game 3. His steal and finish on Providence’s third goal on Sunday electrified the crowd.

— Matt Poitras was a standout all over the ice throughout the series. He scored two power play goals in Game 3.

— Vinni Lettieri was a problem for Springfield in all three games. He scored the OT goal in Game 2, had two assists in Game 3 and piled up a total of 15 shots in the series.

— Ian Mitchell had a goal and an assist in Game 3. His power play goal in the third period was a game-winner.

— Both the penalty kill and the power play were difference-makers. Providence killed all 11 Springfield power plays. The power play scored once in Game 1, then went 3 for 5 in Game 3.

“I try to not get too involved in the special teams and overcoach it,” said Mougenel. “For me, (assistants) Matty Thomas and Trent Whitfield are two of the best. There’s something to be said about guys that can teach things and make it as simple as possible. Those are two guys that do it extremely well. Our special teams have been outstanding all year. Not that coaches should get credit all the time, but those two should. They’re amazing at what they do.”

BAD

— Providence outshot Springfield, 10-6, in the first period of Game 1, but gave up a pair of goals in a span of four minutes. It was a hole the P-Bruins could never climb out of as they lost, 2-1.

— Trailing by a goal in the third period of Game 1, the P-Bruins failed to score on a four-minute power play.

— Providence took three straight penalties in the third period of Game 2. That’s living dangerously in a scoreless game.

UGLY

— Injured: Billy Sweezey, Georgii Merkulov, Jake Gaudet

Rookie Dans Locmelis put on a show in Hartford with a goal and three assists. (Photo courtesy of Providence Bruins)

On the second-to-last weekend of the regular season, the Providence Bruins played twice and racked up wins in both games.

In Hartford on Friday night, Providence jumped out to a four-goal lead on the way to a 6-2 win over the Wolf Pack. At home on Saturday, the P-Bruins earned a 4-3 overtime victory against the Belleville Senators.

Here’s the good, bad and ugly.

GOOD

— Early in Friday’s game, Brandon Bussi made one of the best saves of the season when he dove across the crease to snare an Alex Belzile shot in his catching glove.

— Matt Poitras scored twice, added two assists and was plus-3 in Hartford, then he set up three goals on Saturday. He has 11 multi-point games this season. Poitras has 16-24-40 in 38 games.

— Dans Locmelis scored his first pro goal in the win over the Wolf Pack and assisted on three goals. Against Belleville, he buried the winner with 14 seconds left in OT and added two helpers. Locmelis has 2-6-8 in 4 games.

— Providence finished the weekend in fourth place in the Atlantic Division with a record of 39-23-5-3 for 86 points. They are tied in points with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, their opponent in Pennsylvania on Wednesday. Hershey is first with 93 points and Charlotte is second with 88.

— Oliver Wahlstrom scored a goal and an assist on both Friday and Saturday night.

— The P-Bruins went 1 for 4 on the power play on Friday and 3 for 9 on Saturday.

— Daniil Misyul scored his first goal with Providence on Saturday.

— Two defensemen who started the season in the ECHL have been solid contributors since arriving in Providence. Chris Ortiz was plus-3 against Hartford and Mason Millman leads the team with a plus-19 rating.

— 9,088 fans turned out on Saturday for Country Music Night.

BAD

— Providence gave up a two-goal lead in the second period on Saturday and then, after taking the lead in the third period, allowed the tying goal just 64 seconds later.

UGLY

— Injured: Georgii Merkulov, Billy Sweezey, Jake Gaudet

From close range, Riley Tufte pots his 19th goal of the season on Friday night. (Photo courtesy of Providence Bruins)

The Providence Bruins broke even over the weekend, earning three out of six points.

They started with a dominating 4-0 victory over the Charlotte Checkers at home on Friday. They traveled to Utica and lost to the Comets, 6-4, on Saturday. Back at home on Sunday, they pocketed a point in a 3-2 overtime loss to Charlotte.

Here’s the good, bad and ugly.

GOOD

— Providence finished the weekend with a record of 37-23-5-3 and 82 points. They are third in the Atlantic Division, tied in points with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins.

— Tyler Pitlick’s outstanding season continued on Friday night as he scored his 20^th goal of the season and added an assist. He also recorded an assist on Sunday.

— On his first shift as a pro on Friday night, Dans Locmelis set up a goal by Riley Duran for his first point. Dalton Bancroft and Jake Schmaltz notched their first pro goals on Saturday.

— It was a good weekend for Brett Harrison. He had three assists and was plus-three on Saturday and scored a goal on Sunday.

— Brandon Bussi posted his fifth shutout of the year on Friday against Charlotte.

— Riley Tufte had a goal and an assist on Friday. He potted his 20^th goal on Sunday.

— Providence scored three goals in the first 8:44 in Friday’s win.

— Joey Abate scored twice in Utica. He has a career-high eight goals.

— Ty Gallagher is living up to his reputation as a good puck-handling defenseman. He had two assists in Utica and has 1-4-5 in his first eight games.

— Trailing 5-1 in the third period against the Comets, the P-Bruins didn’t quit. They fought back to within 5-3 late before giving up an empty net goal.

BAD

— Providence gave up three goals in 3:56 in the third period Utica.

— They led by two goals with 10 minutes left on Sunday, but lost in OT.

— Georgii Merkulov has just two goals in his last 13 games.

— After a hot start, Oliver Wahlstrom has two goals in his last 13 games.

— Matt Poitras didn’t record a shot on goal on Saturday or Sunday.

— The P-Bruins were hit with delay of game penalties for shooting the puck over the glass on both Friday and Saturday.

UGLY

— Frederic Brunet was minus-four in Utica.

— Injured: Georgii Merkulov, Billy Sweezey, Michael DiPietro, Jake Gaudet

Matt Poitras scored twice in a win against Lehigh Valley on Saturday. (Photo courtesy of Providence Bruins)

Under the circumstances, it was the most impressive weekend of the season for the Providence Bruins.

Facing two quality opponents on the road without five of their better players in captain Patrick Brown, Vinni Lettieri, Fabian Lysell, Ian Mitchell or Mike Callahan?

Didn’t matter.

The P-Bruins stomped the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, 10-2, on Friday night, then beat the Lehigh Valley Phantoms, 3-1, on Saturday night.

Here’s the good, bad & ugly.

GOOD

— Providence finished the weekend in third place in the Atlantic Division with a 35-19-4-3 record and 77 points. They are one point behind second-place Wilkes-Barre/Scranton. With 11 games left in the regular season, the magic number to clinch a playoff spot is two.

— Special teams are going strong. The power play went 3 for 5 on Friday and 1 for 2 on Saturday. They’ve scored power play goals in five straight games. The PP is eighth in the AHL at 20.5 percent. The PK is third at 85.6 percent.

— Providence’s goal differential is plus-48. Only the Colorado Eagles with plus-60 are ahead of them.

— Jeffrey Viel led the point parade in Friday night’s offensive explosion with 2-2-4, followed by Jake Gaudet (2-1-3), Matt Poitras (1-2-3) and Oliver Wahlstrom (0-3-3).

— Brandon Bussi stopped 42 shots against Wilkes-Barre/Scranton. While the final score was lopsided in Providence’s favor, Bussi denied the Penguins on at least three Grade A opportunities in the opening minutes to keep the game scoreless and allow the P-Bruins to get to their game.

— Friday was Providence’s first 10-goal game since Nov. 25, 1998. On that night, the visiting P-Bruins annihilated Syracuse, 14-2.

— Fourteen different players recorded points against the Penguins.

— When former Boston University defenseman Ty Gallagher scored his first pro goal Friday, it was former Boston College winger Oliver Wahlstrom who fished the puck out of the net for Gallagher.   

— Providence has outscored the Penguins, 20-5, and beaten them in all three meetings so far.

— Joey Abate scored a goal, punished Atley Calvert with a big hit into the boards and decisioned Jack St. Ivany in a fight on Friday night. Call it a Joey Abate Hat Trick.

— Frederic Brunet got a fortunate break on his goal – his fifth of the season – against the Penguins. Fraser Minten threw the puck at the net and it hit Brunet – who was ridden into the crease by a defender – and went into the net.

— Michael DiPietro turned in a solid 28-save effort against the Phantoms. He leads the AHL in wins (28), save percentage (.929) and goals-against average (2.02).

— Matt Poitras played a strong two-way game against Lehigh Valley. He opened the scoring with a power-play goal in the first period and added some insurance with an empty-netter in the third period.

— Brett Harrison scored goals in both games.

— Max Wanner had his best game so far on Saturday. He defended well and made a couple of smart, poised plays with the puck. On Providence’s second goal he carried the puck into the offensive zone and got it on net, where Harrison cashed in the rebound.

BAD

— Obviously, the P-Bruins exist to serve the parent club and callups are a fact of AHL life. But when five of your better players are up with Boston, Providence faces a massive challenge.

UGLY

– – A behind-the-back, cross-ice pass attempt in the defensive zone blew up in Georgii Merkulov’s face on Friday. Sam Poulin of the Penguins picked it off and promptly scored Wilkes-Barre/Scranston’s first goal.

— Injured: John Farinacci, Jake Gaudet

Fraser Minten scored a natural hat trick in Springfield on Sunday. (Photo courtesy of Providence Bruins)

When all was said and done, it turned out to be a decent week for the Providence Bruins.

Playing on the road without three of their top players – Patrick Brown, Vinni Lettieri and Ian Mitchell, all of whom are up with the Boston Bruins — the P-Bruins earned three out of six points.

They started the week in Toronto, where they dropped a 4-2 decision to the Marlies. Moving on to Rochester on Friday, Providence lost to the Americans in a shootout, 4-3. In Springfield on Sunday afternoon, they played a very strong game at both ends and headed home with a much-needed 4-1 win.

Here’s the good, bad and ugly.

GOOD

— Playing his third game with Providence, 20-year-old center Fraser Minten had an afternoon to remember on Sunday. He scored a natural hat trick and assisted on Riley Duran’s goal.

— Billy Sweezey made a pretty pass to set up Minten on Minten’s second goal against the T-Birds.

— Providence finished the weekend at 33-19-4-3 and 73 points. They are in third place in the Atlantic Division, one point behind the second-place Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins and one point ahead of the fourth-place Charlotte Checkers. The Hershey Bears are first with 80 points.

— The power play continues to produce. The P-Bruins scored a power play goal in each of their three games.

— The penalty kill is up to fourth in the AHL at 85.2 percent.

— Matt Poitras  had an assist in Toronto, two in Rochester and one in Springfield. Three of the four helpers came on the power play.

— Fabian Lysell scored a nice goal for his 11^th of the season in Toronto.

— Jeffrey Viel scored twice before the game was 11 minutes old in Rochester. Both goals were assisted by Tyler Pitlick and Jake Gaudet. Acquired on loan from Cleveland, Gaudet turned in good games on Friday and Sunday.

BAD

— They squandered a two-goal lead in Rochester and were outshot, 21-7, in the second period.

— Providence allowed a goal 30 seconds into the second period in Toronto.

— With the goalie pulled on Friday, Providence couldn’t hit the open net on Friday and the Amerks promptly took the puck to the other end and tied the game.

— A quick whistle by referee Johnathan Daniels cost Oliver Wahlstrom a goal against the Thunderbirds.

UGLY

— Injured: John Farinacci