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Good, bad & ugly from Providence Bruins weekend

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There have been bumps along the way, but the Providence Bruins reached the AHL All-Star break in good shape.

After struggling early in the season, they are 24-14-4-1 with 29 games left in the regular season.

With 53 points, they are tied for second in the Atlantic Division with the Charlotte Checkers, a point ahead of the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins. As expected, the defending Calder Cup champion Hershey Bears are first with 61 points.

With two of their top players, Vinni Lettieri and Michael Callahan, on recall with Boston, Providence played two games on the road against the Cleveland Monsters over the weekend.

They won Friday’s game, 4-2, and lost on Saturday, 3-2.

Here’s the good, bad and ugly.

GOOD

— Michael DiPietro stopped 27 of 29 shots in Friday’s win. His record is 16-5-4 and he is first in the AHL with a .932 save percentage and 1.91 goals-against average.

— Patrick Brown scored twice and added an assist on Friday.

— Riley Tufte brought his big man’s game with a Gordie Howe Hat Trick in Friday’s win. He assisted on Providence’s first goal and sniped his 12th goal of the year late in the first period. Later on he bulldozed Cleveland goalie Jett Greaves and then dropped Max McCue in the fight that followed.

— They went 7-3-1 in the month of January.

— The P-Bruins scored in the first minute of both weekend games, Patrick Brown at 24 seconds on Friday and Joey Abate 50 seconds in on Saturday.

— Providence scored a power-play goal in both games.

— Ian Mitchell’s goal on Friday, off a pass from Georgii Merkulov, was his second game-winner of the season.

— In the last minute on Friday, Tyler Pitlick could have put the puck in the empty net himself, but generously slid it over to Patrick Brown, who scored his second of the game.

— Riley Duran didn’t touch the puck so he did not get credit for an assist on Brown’s first-minute goal on Friday, but Duran’s strong forecheck pressured Cleveland into a turnover that led to the goal.

— They are 18-0-2-0 when leading after two periods.

— Frederick Brunet was plus-three on Friday and is now seventh in the league with plus-18.

— Joey Abate’s goal on Saturday was his second in two games.

BAD

— The P-Bruins allowed the Monsters to tie Friday’s game with a goal just 37 seconds into the third period.

— They let a 2-0 lead get away from them on Saturday.

— Trailing by a goal, they shot themselves in the foot with penalties at the end of Saturday’s loss. Forty seconds after Riley Tufte was whistled for a four-minute high-sticking infraction at 15:12, Providence was called for too many men on the ice at 15:52.

UGLY

— Providence is 0-10-2-0 when trailing after two periods.

Good, bad & ugly from Providence Bruins weekend

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Georgii Merkulov scores in the shootout in Springfield. (Photo courtesy of Providence Bruins)

Even though they are depleted by NHL callups, the Providence Bruins dug in and earned five out of six points over the weekend.

They started on Friday with a 3-0 home win over a good Rochester Americans team, then followed that up with a 4-3 shootout win on the road against the Springfield Thunderbirds on Saturday.

The P-Bruins saved their best for last, even while losing. At home on Sunday against a first-place Laval Rocket squad, Providence came from behind twice and forced overtime with an outstanding third period. They earned a point even though they lost in OT, 3-2.

“Amazing third period by the entire group playing against a team that came in the night before, well-rested. They did a fantastic job. They should be proud of how they played. I know I am (proud). I know they’re disappointed with the overtime loss, but they were outstanding,” said coach Ryan Mougenel.

Providence’s goaltending has been outstanding lately, as demonstrated by three consecutive shutouts, and the play of the defense has been first-rate.

“How we’ve been defending, we’ve got some young defensemen there that have a lot of added minutes, probably too many minutes right now at times for young D. Their details are getting there.

“There’s always those teaching moments with young D. We’ve been pretty staunch with them and they’ve done a great job responding. It’s a daily build. Ultimately, if they can grow their game and be defensive-minded in details like Michael Callahan, that’s where it starts. They’re at the starting point. Michael is at the end. That’s how we approach it.”

Here’s the good, bad and ugly.

GOOD

— They finished the weekend in second place in the Atlantic Division with a record of 23-13-4-1 for 51 points.

— Providence’s shutout streak reached 198:19 before it was snapped in Springfield.

— Michael DiPietro posted his fourth shutout of the year on Friday. DiPietro leads the AHL in save percentage (.932) and goal-against average (1.91).

— Brandon Bussi posted his second straight win on Saturday with 33 saves, including 4 terrific stops in overtime. Then he denied all 3 shootout attempts, including the last one on Blues’ first rounder Dalibor Dvorsky to clinch the victory.

— Georgii Merkulov was held without a point on Sunday, but he had 4-7-11 in the previous 9 games. He had 1-2-3 on Saturday and buried the deciding goal in the shootout. By the end of the day on Sunday he was sixth in the AHL in scoring with 11-27-38 in 38 games.

— Fabian Lysell scored twice on Friday and recorded two assists on Saturday.

— Tyler Pitlick’s 12th goal of the season was the game-winner on Friday. He has 7 goals in his last 10 games.

— The fourth line of Trevor Kuntar, Jaxon Nelson and Riley Duran on Saturday contributed solid minutes and combined for 13 shots on goal in Springfield. The trio of Kuntar, Nelson and Joey Abate chipped in with two goals – by Duran and Abate — on Sunday.

— Frederic Brunet is not an offensive defenseman, nor is he a shutdown defender. His game is somewhere in the middle. Brunet, who chipped in with his first goal in two months on Saturday, has taken a step this season. His plus-16 is seventh in the AHL.

BAD

— With a two-goal lead, Providence appeared to be in control in the second period on Saturday. But then, with the top line of Tufte-Merkulov-Lysell on the ice, Springfield tied the game with two goals in 18 seconds.

— Fabian Lysell’s speed was evident on Sunday, as it often is, but you can’t overlook the same mistakes being repeated, game in and game out. The turnovers, the 1 on 3 entries, getting pushed aside by bigger players, too much time on the perimeter instead of inside.

— Stick tap for Hometown Heroes Night in Springfield. But an emergency vehicle parade at intermission? Really? I’ll bet Eddie Shore, the father of Springfield hockey, was spinning in his grave.

UGLY

— Ugly took the week off.

Good, bad & ugly from Providence Bruins week

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Mike DiPietro congratulates Brandon Bussi on his shutout on Sunday. (Photo courtesy of Providence Bruins)

The Providence Bruins were without some of their top players as Vinni Lettieri, Mike Callahan and Matt Poitras were recalled by Boston, but you wouldn’t know it from the results on the ice.

The P-Bruins swept all three of their games last week and by late Sunday they held down second place in the Atlantic Division with a record of 21-13-3-1 and 46 points.

Their first win was a gritty 3-2 shootout decision on the road against the Syracuse Crunch on Wednesday. Providence returned home for the weekend and beat the Crunch, 5-0, on Saturday and then blanked the Springfield Thunderbirds, 4-0, on Sunday.

“It shows our leadership, for sure. As a group sometimes you can wonder about what’s not in your lineup, but the guys did a great job celebrating what we had in the lineup. I can’t say enough about our goaltending and our back end. They really stepped up,” said coach Ryan Mougenel after Sunday’s game.

Here’s the good, bad and ugly.

GOOD

— The goaltending was superb in all three wins. On Wednesday, Michael DiPietro kicked out 37 of 39 shots and four out of five in the shootout. He followed that up with a 26-save shutout on Saturday. DiPietro’s 1.95 goals-against average is second in the AHL.

Brandon Bussi stopped all 27 shots on Sunday, including a couple of 10-bell saves.

— Tyler Pitlick had a terrific week. He tied Wednesday’s game with a third-period goal and scored in the shootout, too. After posting an assist on Saturday, he had 2-1-3 on Sunday. With 11 goals on 42 shots, his shooting percentage is 26.2.

— The power play went 1 for 2 on Saturday and 1 for 3 on Sunday. The PP is 13th in the league at 18 percent.

“One unit has a lot of poise and makes a lot of positive plays. Obviously, (Georgii Merkulov) makes it go. I thought (Ian Mitchell) did a real good job on it (Sunday), had a good focus and was clean and efficient. There was a lot of structure. The one thing (assistant coach) Matty Thomas does is explains the ‘why’ all the time. That’s had a big effect on our power play,” said Mougenel.

— Merkulov has points in five straight games with 2-4-6.

— Riley Tufte scored the deciding goal in the shootout win in Syracuse.

— Frederic Brunet made a slick pass to set up Pitlick’s first goal on Sunday. He played a strong two-way game and was plus-3.

— Max Jones scored twice in Saturday’s game.

— John Farinacci scored a goal on Saturday and made a pretty pass to set up Brett Harrison’s score on Sunday. Farinacci has 2-8-10 in his last 9 games.

— Trevor Kuntar snapped a streak of 12 games without a goal with his tally on Saturday.

BAD

— In Syracuse, Fabian Lysell had chance after chance but had zero puck luck and went home without a goal.

— Jeffrey Viel continues to lead the AHL in minor penalties with 29.

— Syracuse and Springfield ended up with twice as many power plays – 10 – to only 5 for the P-Bruins on Saturday and Sunday.

UGLY

— Sick: Fabian Lysell

Good, bad & ugly from Providence Bruins weekend

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Riley Tufte is knocked down after depositing his 11th goal of the year in the net against Bridgeport on Friday. (Photo courtesy of Providence Bruins)

The Providence Bruins split their two games over the weekend.

They beat the Bridgeport Islanders, 4-1, at home on Friday. They lost to the Springfield Thunderbirds, 6-4, on the road on Saturday.

Here’s the good, bad and ugly.

GOOD

— Michael DiPietro and Mike Callahan got word on Wednesday that they will represent the P-Bruins at the AHL All-Star Classic in Palm Desert, Calif. on Feb. 2 and 3. Both are worthy selections. Vinni Lettieri would have been a deserving pick, too.

— DiPietro stopped 34 of 35 shots in Friday night’s win. He is 12-5-3 with a .925 save percentage. His 2.05 goals-against average is third in the AHL.

— Lettieri had two goals and a helper on Friday. He is third in the AHL in scoring with 14-21-35 in 35 games.

— Fabian Lysell had a productive weekend with two assists on Friday and a tip-in goal on Saturday. He has 3-8-11 in the last 10 games.

— Georgii Merkulov scored a goal and an assist on Friday and set up a Patrick Brown power play score with a good pass on Saturday. He has 5-12-17 in the last 16 games. Seems to me he could contribute on Boston’s sputtering power play.

— Riley Duran played with energy in both games and scored a goal on Saturday.

— Brett Harrison took the puck to the net for a nice goal in Springfield.

— Riley Tufte, Frederic Brunet and Mason Millman are tied for the team lead with plus-10.

— Providence’s next two games are against Syracuse and they’ll face Rochester, Laval and Cleveland over the next couple of weeks. It’s a welcome break from the usual bland diet of Bridgeport, Hartford and Springfield.

BAD

— In Springfield, by the time the P-Bruins registered a shot on net nine minutes in, they were already two goals down.

— Brandon Bussi gave up two goals on six shots in the first 8:04 before being pulled against the Thunderbirds.

— Saturday night was a tough one for Providence’s top line. Matt Poitras was minus-four and Lettieri and Merkulov were minus-three.

— Maybe Poitras had a good reason to slash Springfield’s Corey Schueneman late in the second period. Unfortunately for Poitras, referee Chris Rumble was five feet away and couldn’t miss the infraction. The Thunderbirds scored the go-ahead goal two seconds after the penalty on Poitras expired.

— Merkulov and Lettieri broke in alone on Springfield’s Colton Ellis with 6:28 left in the second period but didn’t score as Ellis turned away Merkulov’s shot.

— After battling back from a two-goal deficit to tie the game, the P-Bruins fell behind again as they gave up a goal with 23 seconds left in the second period.

— The P-Bruins don’t play Bridgeport again for a month. Too bad. The P-Bruins are 8-0 against the last-place Islanders.

UGLY

— Injured: Ian Mitchell, Tyler Pitlick

Good, bad & ugly from Providence Bruins weekend

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The Providence Bruins headed home from their weekend in Hershey, Pa., with only one out of four points.

In their first game of the trip on Saturday night, the P-Bruins were on the cusp of being run out of the Giant Center in the first period as they fell behind by three goals. To their credit, they stopped the bleeding and went to work. They chipped away and tied the game in the third period and earned a point after losing, 4-3, in a shootout.

On Sunday, Providence held its own for just over a period before they were blitzed by the Bears, 5-1.

Here’s the good, bad and ugly.

GOOD

— The P-Bruins built some character with their comeback on Saturday night. Captain Patrick Brown and Vinni Lettieri put on a master class in veteran leadership as the team rallied from three goals down. Credit to Brown for going right after Matthew Strome after the Hershey winger elbowed Matt Poitras. Big props to Mike DiPietro for locking it down as his teammates clawed their way back to even.

— Brown scored an important power play goal on Saturday to put the Bruins on the board with 48 seconds left in the first period. The goal gave them a positive to build on instead of going to the room facing a 0-3 deficit. On Sunday, Brown set up a Max Jones goal that gave Providence the lead 80 seconds into the game. Brown has points in four straight games.

— Riley Tufte scored his 10th goal on Saturday.

— Vinni Lettieri’s 12th goal of the year tied the game in the third period on Sunday. He continues to lead the team with 12-20-32 in 31 games.

BAD

— Sunday’s game spun away from the P-Bruins went they allowed two goals within 30 seconds in the second period.

— They could muster only 19 shots on Sunday. It made for an easy night for Hershey’s backup goalie, Clay Stevenson.

UGLY

— Injured/sick: Ian Mitchell, Riley Duran, Tyler Pitlick

Good, bad & ugly from Providence Bruins weekend

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John Farinacci celebrates with teammates after scoring in the first period against Hartford (Photo courtesy of Providence Bruins)

The Providence Bruins only played twice last weekend and they won both games.

They started with a 4-1 victory against the Bridgeport Islanders on Friday night, then beat the Hartford Wolf Pack, 4-1, on Saturday night. Both games were on the road.

The month of December was good for the P-Bruins as they went 9-2-1, earning 19 of 24 points. Not too shabby, considering the way they struggled at times in the opening weeks of the season.

Here’s the good, bad & ugly.

GOOD

— As 2025 starts, the Providence Bruins have a record of 17-11-3-0. They are tied for second in the Atlantic Division with 37 points, 4 behind the first-place Hershey Bears.

— Fabian Lysell had one of his best games of the season in Bridgeport. He scored a goal, earned a primary assist on two other goals and was plus-3. The next night in Boston, Lysell played his first NHL game for the Bruins and didn’t look out of place in a win over Columbus.

— Riley Tufte had his most productive game of the season with 2-1-3 and plus-3 against Bridgeport. He is second on the team with 9 goals.

— John Farinacci had 3 assists and was plus-3 in the win at Bridgeport. The next night in Hartford he scored 1:40 into the game and set up a Max Jones goal early in the second period.

— Matt Poitras had an empty net goal and an assist in Hartford. He has 8-10-18 in 19 games.

— Providence received good goaltending in both games. Michael DiPietro stopped 31 of 32 shots on Friday and Brandon Bussi kicked out 36 of 37 on Saturday, including 15 in the first period.

— Billy Sweezey made quick work of Hartford’s 6-foot-7 Dylan Roobroeck in a late-game bout on Saturday.

— Both Frederic Brunet and Ian Mitchell were plus-3 against Bridgeport.

BAD

— Jeffrey Viel is tied for the league lead in minor penalties with 22.

— Providence’s power play on the road is 27th in the AHL at 13 percent – 7 for 54.

— They are 0-8-1-0 when trailing after two periods.

UGLY

— Injured: Ian Mitchell

Good, bad & ugly from Providence Bruins week

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Matt Poitras has 7-9-16 in 17 games since being sent to AHL last month. (Photo courtesy of Providence Bruins)

In their last three games before the Christmas break, the Providence Bruins earned three out of six points.

The week started with a 4-3 road loss in overtime against the Lehigh Valley Phantoms on Wednesday night as Providence’s six-game winning streak was snapped.

The P-Bruins responded with one of their best all-around performances of the season in a 1-0 road win against the Hartford Wolf Pack on Friday.

At home on Saturday, Providence dug an 0-2 hole that they couldn’t climb out of on the way to a 4-2 loss to the Wolf Pack.

“There’s a lot of good elements (from the week), for sure. (Friday night) was one of our best games that we’ve played to date. There were things in (Saturday’s) game that you don’t like. We let our emotions get the best of us, spilled over from last night a little bit, and it cost us. Their goalie was good. Both nights their goaltending was really good. You’ve got to find ways to win,” said coach Ryan Mougenel.

Here’s the good, bad and ugly.

GOOD

— Michael DiPietro stopped all 21 Hartford shots for his second shutout of the season in Friday’s 1-0 win, including a 10-bell save on Adam Sykora with 9:54 left. He is having an excellent season with a 10-4-2 record. His goal’s-against average (2.05) is fifth in the AHL; his save percentage (.923) is sixth.

— After Hartford took liberties with Matt Poitras on Friday, Ryan Mast did what needed to be done, dropping the gloves with Alex Belzile, who had cross-checked Poitras in the back after the whistle.

— Poitras extended his goal streak to seven straight games with a power-play tuck on Wednesday before he was held off the board on Friday. While he didn’t score that night, Poitras played a superb two-way game.

— Georgii Merkulov made a couple of nice passes to set up power play goals. He passed through a seam to Matt Poitras for a one-timer against Lehigh Valley and found Vinni Lettieri for a score in the last minute of the first period on Saturday. He has 3-9-12 in his last 10 games.

— The power play, which was near the bottom of the league not very long ago, is up to 12th at 18.8 percent.

— Brett Harrison made a good pass to Riley Duran at the edge of the crease for a goal in the third period at Lehigh Valley. It capped an excellent response shift for the P-Bruins, who’d given up the go-ahead goal to the Phantoms just 18 seconds before.

— Jackson Edward saved a goal in the first period on Wednesday, sweeping the puck off the goal line as it was about to roll in.

— Providence outshot Hartford 21-5 in the first period and 16-5 in the second on Friday. At one point, the P-Bruins put 25 straight shots on the Wolf Pack net from the first period into the second.  

— Stick tap for Providence equipment staffer Shjon Whitehead. On Saturday night, after Vinni Lettieri’s stick snapped, Whitehead quickly handed a new stick to Lettieri, who passed to Patrick Brown seconds later for a power play goal.

— Jordan Oesterle has been in Boston for six weeks, but he continues to lead all AHL defensemen with a shooting percentage of 23.1 – three goals on 13 shots.

BAD

— Fabian Lysell was awarded a penalty shot with the score tied at three and 6:27 left in the third period against Lehigh Valley. With the go-ahead goal on his stick, he skated in, threw a bunch of moves at Lehigh Valley goalie Cal Peterson, then fumbled the puck and failed to even get a shot on net.

— Down by a goal, Providence had three power plays in the second half of the third period of Saturday’s loss but didn’t score.

— Six of Providence’s next seven games are on the road.  

— Tyler Pitlick, Jeffrey Viel and John Farinacci broke into the Hartford zone on a three on one with five-and-a-half minutes left in the second on Friday, but Dylan Garand made the save for the Wolf Pack.

UGLY  

— Providence was 7-0 when leading after two periods and was ahead by two goals entering the third period against Lehigh Valley, but then gave up three goals in just over four minutes early and ended up losing in OT. Ouch.

— The P-Bruins’ bus pulled into the AMP at 3:30 a.m. on Thursday after the trip back from Wednesday night’s game in Lehigh Valley.

— Injured: Max Jones, Ryan Mast

Good, bad & ugly from Providence Bruins week

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Matt Poitras beats Hartford’s Louis Domingue through the five-hole for Providence’s second goal on Sunday. (Photo courtesy of Providence Bruins)

After struggling to keep their heads above water for the first couple of months of the season, the Providence Bruins are now one of the hottest teams in the American Hockey League.

They won all three of their games last week, extending their victory streak to six and moving up to second place in the Atlantic Division.

The P-Bruins started with a 4-2 road win against the Bridgeport Islanders on Wednesday. Back at home on Friday, they beat Bridgeport again, 5-3. They followed that with a 5-3 win over the Hartford Wolf Pack at home on Sunday.

“It’s not like the effort wasn’t there (when the team was losing),” said coach Ryan Mougenel after Sunday’s game. “The one thing we’ve had is a lot of continuity. That helps a lot, especially as we’ve kind of been through (some struggles) a little bit. With the same guys pushing they get used to each other, there’s some chemistry building and our team game is building.

“For me it comes from the leadership group that’s been outstanding. And it’s not just guys like (Lettieri and Brown). We talk about them a lot. But the Viels, the Mitchells, the Callahans have done a lot of little things that translate into wins. I’m proud of how they’ve built the group.”

Here’s the good, bad and ugly.

GOOD

— As of Sunday night, Providence was 14-10-2. With 30 points, they trailed the first place Hershey Bears by nine points in the Atlantic Division. Just a point behind the P-Bruins are Wilkes-Barre/Scranton and Charlotte.

— Matt Poitras has goals in 6 straight games and 11 points in his last 7 games. In Sunday’s game, he unselfishly passed up a shot at the empty net and instead fed Georgii Merkulov for a goal. Overall, he has 6-8-14 and a plus-8 in 14 games.

— Vinni Lettieri had two assists in each of Providence’s three games. He has 1-11-12 in his last seven games and is up to fifth in the AHL in scoring with 10-17-27 in 26 games.

— Georgii Merkulov has a 7-game point streak. After a slow start he has 6-17-23 in 23 games.

— The P-Bruins struggled to score earlier in the season, but now they’ve put up 28 goals in the last 6 games.

— Fabian Lysell had a pair of productive games. He scored a goal on Friday and had two assists on Sunday. The first helper on Sunday was a pretty setup for a Patrick Brown goal.

— Max Jones scored a pretty goal on an individual effort in Bridgeport.

— Jackson Edward scored his first pro goal in Bridgeport on Wednesday.

— Jeffrey Viel had a goal and an assist on Sunday.

BAD

— On Sunday, with 60 seconds left in a 5-2 game, referee Liam Maaskant felt the need to call a holding-the-stick penalty on Hartford’s Ryder Korczak. C’mon, man. Show that you have a feel for where the game is.

— On Friday, after a Bridgeport player fell down in the general vicinity of Providence’s Frederic Brunet, referee Sydney Harris whistled Brunet for tripping. Ridiculous.

UGLY

—  The P-Bruins had zero power plays on Wednesday night in Bridgeport. None. Not one.

Good, bad & ugly from Providence Bruins weekend

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Mason Millman unloads a shot that ended up in the net for Providence’s first goal on Saturday night. (Photo courtesy of Providence Bruins)

It’s been feast or famine for the Providence Bruins in recent weeks, but they ate like kings over the last three games as they left their offensive struggles behind them, put up a total of 14 goals and won three in a row.

They went on the road to beat the Utica Comets, 3-2, on Friday, then returned home to beat the Bridgeport Islanders, 6-3, on Saturday and the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, 5-0, on Sunday.

“The guys should be proud of how they played this weekend. They got the message. We got the win (on Saturday) but when you take ownership of your game, I think there’s guys, our staff included, who knew we had to be better. For a three-in-three, the guys played extremely hard,” said coach Ryan Mougenel.

“It was our older guys, they set the tone (on Sunday). Tyler Pitlick, Patrick Brown, Vinni Lettieri were outstanding. Mike Callahan and Ian Mitchell have handled a lot of difficult minutes. Cally for me has been absolutely outstanding.”

As of Sunday night, they were in fifth place in the Atlantic Division with a record of 11-10-2 for 24 points. They are only one point away from second place.

Here’s the good, bad and ugly.

GOOD

— The power play went 5 for 14 across the three games – 2 for 6 on Friday, 1 for 2 on Saturday and 2 for 5 on Sunday. It was 15th in the AHL as of Sunday evening at 18 percent. That’s a big improvement from a few weeks ago when it was one of the worst in the league.

— It was a good week for Matt Poitras. He’s scored goals in three straight games and added a couple of assists. He looks to be in better game shape than when he arrived. He’s been more effective deeper into his shifts and better able to win races and battle for pucks. He has 10 points in 11 games with three goals and seven assists.

— Brandon Bussi appears to be finding his game with two solid wins in a row. He kicked out 18 of 20 shots in Utica and stopped all 21 shots against the Penguins in recording his first shutout of the season.

— Vinni Lettieri had a goal and three assists in the three games. He continues to lead the team with 10-11-21 in 23 games.

— Jeffrey Viel’s shorthanded score on Sunday was one of the prettiest goals of the season. “It was good to see him get rewarded for how hard he works,” said Mougenel.

— Georgii Merkulov had a goal and an assist against the Comets, an assist against the Islanders and a goal against the Penguins. He has 5-13-18 in 20 games.

— Mason Millman has contributed solid minutes since his recall from Maine in mid-November. The 23-year-old defenseman had a goal and an assist on Saturday and two assists on Sunday.

— Jackson Edward made a perfect pass to set up Matt Poitras’ goal in the second period against the Penguins.

— Brett Harrison snapped a streak of 33 regular-season games without a goal on Sunday.

BAD

— It was such a good week that the only bad I could come up with is that the penalty kill is 27th in the league on the road at 14.6 percent.

UGLY

— Injured: Alec Regula

Good, bad & ugly from Providence Bruins week

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Not a lot to be thankful for this week as the Providence Bruins season took a wrong turn.

The P-Bruins lost all three of their games, one on the road and two at home, while managing to score a total of only five goals.

They started the week with a game in Utica on Wednesday, where they came from behind to tie the game early in the third period before losing to the Comets, 5-3.

In a rematch against Utica on Saturday, Providence could not solve Nico Daws, who stopped all 33 shots in a 3-0 decision for the Comets.

On Sunday, the P-Bruins lost, 3-2, to the Springfield Thunderbirds.

Here’s the good, bad and ugly.

GOOD

— After Providence started slow on Sunday, Billy Sweezey gave his team a bit of a spark by dropping the gloves with Reece Newkirk.

— Trevor Kuntar was credited with a first period assist in Utica and later scored his first goal of the season, snapping a stretch of 14 straight games without a goal.

— Matt Poitras didn’t get a lot done in the two games against Utica, but he was productive against Springfield on Sunday with two assists. He has 0-5-5 in 8 games.

— Defenseman Mason Millman scored his first goal of the year on Sunday.

BAD

— They finished the weekend in seventh place in the eight-team Atlantic Division with a record of 8-10-2-0 and they are 13th in the 15-team Eastern Conference.

— Providence has had some of the best goaltending in the AHL the last couple of years. Last week, not so much. Brandon Bussi wasn’t sharp on Wednesday and Michael DiPietro allowed a leaker on Saturday and another on Sunday.

— The P-Bruins are in the bottom half of the league on both the power play (23rd at 14.7 percent) and the penalty kill (19th at 81.9 percent).

— While shorthanded in the second period on Wednesday, Max Jones and Jeffrey Viel broke into the Utica zone on a two on zero, but Nico Daws stopped Jones’ shot. You have to find a way to bury one there.

— Providence had a good start on Wednesday and took the lead early on a Vinni Lettieri goal, but finished the first period trailing by a goal even after outshooting Utica, 14-6.

— After the P-Bruins tied the score early in the third period in Utica, they allowed the Comets to retake the lead just 17 seconds later.

— Utica scored on two of its first four shots on Wednesday.

— Georgii Merkulov was minus-3 in Utica.

— They outshot Utica,13-6,but didn’t score in the third period on Saturday. They outshot Springfield, 13-7, in the third on Sunday and scored only once.

— With referees Tanner Doiron and Harrison O’Pray in charge, the power plays on Sunday were five for Springfield to two for Providence.

— Brett Harrison scored his last regular season goal on Feb. 9, 33 games ago.

UGLY

— Injured: Alec Regula, Fabian Lysell