P-Bruins Looking for Weekend Sweep

Happy Birthday to Christian Hanson, who would always like you to use the hashtag #longhairdontcare when addressing him on Twitter (@Hanson20er).

The Providence Bruins are hosting the Connecticut Whale at the Dunkin Donuts Center in Providence this afternoon with the puck drop at 3pm. Providence looks to increase their lead over the Portland Pirates for 1st place in the Atlantic Division; at 58 games played apiece, the P-Bruins are 4 points ahead in the standings.

The P-Bruins shootout victory last night brings them to 35-18-0-5 (75 points) on the season, good for 1st in the Atlantic division and 3rd in the Eastern conference. Their opponent today, the Connecticut Whale, are in a fight for the final playoff spot in the east. They are 27-25-5-3 in 60 games this season, and their 62 points has them 2nd in their Northeast division and tied for 8th in the Eastern Conference with the Manchester Monarchs, who have 2 games in hand.

This will be the 5th of 6 meetings between the two teams this season. After winning the 1st matchup 6-3 in October, Connecticut has lost 3 in a row to Providence. They last met on January 20th, when the P-Bruins skated away with a 4-1 victory.

Numbers:

• At home this season, Providence is 19-8-0-3; on the road, CT is 13-13-3-1.
• In the last 10 games, Providence is 7-1-0-2; the Whale are 4-4-1-1
• Providence has won 4 in a row, and are unbeaten in regulation in the last 5 games.
• CT has scored 171 goals this season, but given up 183 (-12 goal differential); Providence has 165 goals for and 148 goals against (+17).
• Power Play: Providence has climbed to 9th on the PP at 18.2%; CT is 14th at 17.5%
• Penalty Kill: Providence ranks 11th in the league at 84.3%; CT ranks 25th at 80.8%

Team Leaders:

• Kris Newbury leads the Whale in scoring (18 goals, 35 assists = 53 points). His 53 points are tied for 3rd most in the AHL. Newbury also ranks 5th in the AHL in minor penalties (36).
• Defenseman Logan Pyett for the Whale is a top scoring defenseman as well, ranking 8th in the league in scoring for blue liners (7 goals, 26 assists = 33 points).
• Michael Haley is 5th in the AHL in major penalties with 18.
• For the P-Bruins, Ryan Spooner remains their top scorer with 10 goals and 31 assists for 41 points.
• Jamie Tardif ranks 1st in goals with 26 (4th best in the league). His 12 power play goals are 2nd in the AHL.
• Bobby Robins leads the AHL in penalty minutes (273) and major penalties (33); he is 3rd in minor penalties (37)

Goaltenders:

Michael Hutchinson will start in net for Providence. He is coming off his 1st shutout of the season on Friday against the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins.

• Record: 7-11-3
• GAA: 2.41
• Save %: .910
• Previously this season against CT, Hutchinson was pulled in their 1st meeting after giving up 4 goals on 13 shots. He got the win against them on December 22, making 24 saves on 25 shots. Niklas Svedberg started the last game between the 2 teams in January, making 14 saves on 15 shots.

Jason Missiaen will start for the Whale.

• Record: 6-4-2
• GAA: 3.57
• Sv %: .893
• Previously this season against Providence, Missiaen has only started once in 4 games. He made 34 saves and gave up 4 goals in the January loss to Providence.

Connecticut is coming off a disappointing 4-3 loss last night to the Adirondack Phantoms and will be desperate to keep themselves in the playoff race. This game will also feature another matchup between brothers, as Chris Bourque‘s younger brother Ryan Bourque plays for the Whale.

Today is not only the birthday of Boston goalie Tuukka Rask (26!), but also born today was Christian Hanson, who looks to extend his point-scoring streak to 4 games on his 27th birthday.

P-Bruins Best Sharks in Shootout

Craig Cunningham scored twice tonight and for the 6th time in 3 games. He has now hit the 20 goal mark in each of his 2 seasons with the Providence Bruins.

Trent Whitfield scored the shootout winner in the 7th round to propel the Providence Bruins over the Worcester Sharks 4-3 on Saturday night in Worcester. Niklas Svedberg stopped 6 of 7 shooters and made 45 saves en route to his 28th win of the season as the P-Bruins improved to 35-18-0-5 on the season. Christian Hanson scored his 9th of the season while Craig Cunningham added 2 power play goals and the only other Providence shootout goal to reach the 20-goal milestone on the season.

Cunningham’s 20 goals now place him 2nd on the team, behind Jamie Tardif with 26, but it also ties his personal best in the AHL when he had 20 goals as a rookie last season for Providence. Last season, Cunningham had 36 points in 76 games and is poised to beat that this season as he stands at 20 goals and 12 assists for 32 points in 58 games this season. Cunningham has scored 6 goals in the last 3 games.

Hanson also extended his own point-scoring streak with his 6th point in 5 games with his 3rd period goal. Hanson’s goal put the Bruins ahead 3-2 before Worcester tied it up in the final minute of play with the goaltender pulled for the extra attacker.

Worcester opened up the scoring at 9:40 of the 1st period on Sebastian Stalberg‘s 9th of the year from Denny Urban and Tommy Grant. Svedberg denied Worcester the opportunity for a 2-goal lead when James Livingston was awarded a penalty shot at 13:33 of the 1st period. Svedberg has stopped both penalty shots he has faced this season – in November, he stopped Chad Kolarik, then of the Connecticut Whale – and leads the AHL with 6 shootout wins. Needless to say, Svedberg is excellent in one-on-one shooter situations.

Providence didn’t get on the scoreboard until 21 seconds into the 2nd period on a carry-over power play. Daniil Tarasov was sent to the penalty box for slashing at 19:06 of the first period, and Cunningham was able to convert on the power play. Cunningham’s 19th of the season came from Torey Krug and Chris Bourque. It was Bourque’s first point since returning to the AHL from Boston, and Krug’s first point in 5 games – since the end of February.

Cunningham scored his 20th of the season later in the 2nd period on a 2-man advantage. Adam Comrie went to the box at 10:16 of the 2nd for cross-checking and was joined by teammate (and older brother to Dougie Hamilton) Freddie Hamilton 35 seconds later when he was whistled for hooking. Bourque and Krug each picked up their 2nd assists of the night on Cunningham’s ensuing 5-on-3 goal, which marked his 20th of the season and 9th power play goal.

Providence stayed ahead for only a few minutes before Hamilton redeemed himself with his 8th goal of the season at 13:02 of the 2nd period, with assists from Travis Oleksuk and goaltender Harri Sateri.

The score remained locked at 2 until late in the 3rd period when Hanson scored his 9th of the season from Matt Bartkowski and Justin Florek at 16:36 of the 3rd period. Unfortunately, with the goalie pulled for the extra attacker in the final minute of play, Worcester tied the game once again at 3 to send it to overtime. John McCarthy, who led all skaters with 8 shots on net, scored the game-tying goal at 19:00 of the 3rd; it was his 9th of the season from Bracken Kearns and Tarasov.

For the 5th time in 11 games this season, overtime produced no goals and the game went to a shootout. Denny Urban converted for Worcester and Cunningham for Providence, sending it to extra rounds. Trent Whitfield beat Sateri in the 7th round to give the P-Bruins the 2 points.

Providence went 2-for-3 on the power play and was a perfect 1-for-1 on the penalty kill as they pulled ahead to 6-3-0-2 in the season series versus the Sharks. They have 1 more game against the divisional rival this season.

The 3 stars of the game were: (3) Svedberg; (2) McCarthy; and (1) Cunningham. Providence faces off against the Connecticut Whale tomorrow afternoon at 3pm at the Dunkin Donuts Center in Providence.

P-Bruins Top Penguins 2-0; Face Worcester Tonight

Christian Hanson has 24 points this season and is currently on a 5 game point streak (1 goal, 4 assists).

Recap: Providence 2, Wilkes-Barre/Scranton 0

Michael Hutchinson got his 1st shutout of the season, making 20 saves to blank the Wilkes-Barres/Scranton Penguins in the P-Bruins 2-0 win on Friday night. Craig Cunningham scored his 4th goal in 2 games and Graham Mink notched his 8th goal of the season. The Penguins, who have the top-ranked penalty kill in the AHL, gave up 2 power play goals to Providence on 5 P-Bruins PP opportunities.

The scoring didn’t start until the 3rd period, and action didn’t pick up until the 2nd period after a slow 1st period that saw each team put just 3 shots on net apiece. 2 seconds into the middle frame, however, the intensity picked up when the Penguins Zach Sill and P-Bruins Tyler Randell dropped the gloves. Colby Cohen picked up a fighting major 5 minutes later, and soon after a 3rd fight broke out between Bobby Farnham and David Warsofsky. Chris Minella and Kevan Miller dropped the gloves just another minute later – all before the halfway mark of the game.

Bobby Robins, despite wearing a full cage due to a broken nose sustained last week, didn’t hesitate to mix it up himself. He went with Philip Samuelsson at 12:35 of the 2nd period, and each player was assessed an additional 10 minute misconduct for “continuing altercation.” Robins was also given a 5 minute major boarding call on the play leading up to the fight.

By the time the 3rd period rolled around, shots were 12-10 in favor of the Penguins with W-B/S goaltender Jeff Zatkoff stopped all 10 shots faced. That changed when Alex Grant was assessed an interference penalty at 4:58 of the 3rd period and red-hot Cunningham converted on the ensuing power play. Cunningham’s 18th goal of the season – 2nd on the team only behind Jamie Tardif – was assisted by Tardif and Ryan Spooner at 5:58 of the 3rd.

After Providence successfully killed off a penalty to Cohen mid-way through the 3rd, they were put on the power play again at 13:53 of the 3rd when Trevor Smith was sent to the box for roughing. Providence, who went 2-for-5 on the PP last night, scored their 2nd goal and 2nd power play goal of the night when Mink converted on his 6th of the season from Christian Hanson and Cohen.

Although he didn’t pick up any points, Torey Krug led all skaters with 5 shots on net. Chris Bourque, in his first game back in the AHL since early January before the NHL lockout ended, registered 1 shot on net and picked up 1 minor penalty.

Preview: Providence @ Worcester, 7

Niklas Svedberg will get the start in net tonight against divisional rival Worcester Sharks. Defenseman Garnet Exelby, who sat out last night’s game due to suspension, will return to the lineup in place of Tommy Cross.

Providence continues to lead the Atlantic division with 73 points in 57 games (34-18-0-5). They are 3 points ahead of 2nd place Portland Pirates. Worcester is 4th in the division with a record of 26-23-1-5 (58 points in 55 games). Worcester is fighting for a playoff spot, as they currently sit 11th in the Eastern conference, while Providence sits comfortably in 3rd.

This will be the 11th of 12 meetings this season between the 2 teams. Providence currently leads the season series 5-3-0-2. 4 of the previous games have been decided in the shootout, with each team winning 2 of those shootouts. Providence has picked up points in 4 straight games and are 14-4 in the last 18 games.

Team Numbers:

• Last 10: Providence is 7-1-0-2; Worcester 5-5-0-0
• On the road, Providence is 15-10-0-2; at home, Worcester is 10-10-1-3.
• Providence has a goal differential of +16 (161 goals for, 145 goals against); Worcester’s goal differential is -18 (135 GF, 153 GA)
• PP: Providence ranks 13th in the league with 17.6%; Worcester is 19th with 15.5%
• PK: Providence is 12th with 84.3%; Worcester is 14th at 83.5%

After tonight’s game in Worcester, the P-Bruins will host the Connecticut Whale in Providence at 3pm.

P-Bruins Host Baby Penguins

Ryan Spooner is the Providence Bruins leading scorer, picking up 2 assists last Sunday in his 1st game back after missing a week due to a lower body injury. His 10 goals and 30 assists place him on top of rookie scoring as well.

Tonight, the Providence Bruins host the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins at the Dunkin Donuts Center. This is the first of two meetings between the two teams this season.

The Penguins are 4th in the East division and 7th in the Eastern conference with a 30-24-2-1. The P-Bruins continue to lead the Atlantic division with a 33-18-0-5 record, placing them 3rd in the Eastern conference.

Team Numbers:

• In the last 10 games: Providence is 7-1-0-2, while Wilkes-Barre/Scranton is 5-5-0-0.
• On the road, the Penguins are 14-12-0-0; at home, Providence is 18-8-0-3.
• P-Bruins goal differential is +14; the Penguins goal differential is +3.
• On the Power Play: the Penguins are 24th in the AHL (24.1%); Providence is better at 16th (17.2%).
• On the Penalty Kill, the Penguins lead the AHL at 88.3%. Providence is 12th at 84.0%.

League Leaders:

• Chad Kolarik of W-B/S is 15th overall in the AHL in scoring with 46 points (20 goals, 26 assists)
• Kolarik leads the AHL with 190 shots this year.
• Providence’s Jamie Tardif is 4th in goals with 26, and 2nd in power play goals with 12.
• Bobby Robins continues to lead the league in major penalties (31) and penalty minutes (253), although Robins suffered a broken nose last weekend and will be playing with a full cage, so don’t expect any fights from his tonight. Robins is also 3rd in the AHL with 37 minor penalties.
• Ryan Spooner is among the AHL rookie’s leading scorers: with 44 points, he ranks 5th, and he is in 1st place with 30 assists.
• Spooner also sits 5th in rookie shots with 140, and tied for 1st in rookie shootout goals with 4.
• Penguins Bobby Farnham leads AHL rookies in penalty minutes with 188, 16 major penalties, and 24 minor penalties.
• W-B/S goaltender Jeff Zatkoff is 2nd in the AHL in goals against average with 1.90. In 26 games played, Zatkoff is 18-16-0-3 with a .921 save percentage.
• Niklas Svedberg is 9th in AHL GAA at 2.26. The rookie goalie also has an identical .921 save percentage to Zatkoff’s, but in his 37 games played this season, Svedberg is 27-7-2-3.
• Svedber’gs 27 wins place him 2nd in the AHL. Svedberg is also tied for 1st with 5 shootout wins.

Team Leaders:

• Wilkes-Barre/Scranton is lead in scoring by Chad Kolarik with 46 points. Kolarik spent the first 41 games of the season with the Connecticut Whale before coming to the Penguins organization. 
• Trevor Smith is 2nd on the Penguins in scoring with 37 points (17 goals, 20 assists), followed by Riley Holzapfel with 35 points.
• Dylan Reese and Brian Dumoulin are the Penguins top defensemen scorers, each with 16 points.
• Spooner leads the P-Bruins in scoring (40 points), followed by Jamie Tardif (37 points), and injured Carter Camper (35 points) and last Sunday’s hat trick scorer Craig Cunningham (29 points).
• Chris Bourque, who hasn’t played an AHL game since early January, is 5th in scoring on the team with 28 points; Bourque will play tonight.
• Torey Krug is the P-Bruins top scoring defenseman, and 6th overall on the team, with 26 points.

Line Up Notes:

• Despite Svedberg’s strong numbers, Michael Hutchinson gets the start in net for Providence tonight. In 21 games, Hutchinson is 6-11-3. He has a save % of .907 and 2.53 GAA.
  
• Garnet Exelby will sit out tonight’s game, serving his 1-game suspension as a result of a hit last Sunday.

Other Notes:

• Make sure to check out the newest prospect report, which features Cunningham. 

Providence Seeks Season Series Split with Springfield

Kyle MacKinnon had a power play goal last night, and has 3 points in the last 2 games. After starting the season with limited ice time, he has emerged as an important role player while the P-Bruins struggle with injuries. The 25-year-old Providence College alum has 18 points (10 goals, 8 assists) for the Baby Bruins this season.

Tonight, the Springfield Falcons will host the Providence Bruins tonight at the MassMutual Center in Springfield, MA in the Falcons’ “Pink in the Rink” night. The Falcons are 32-14-4-3 (71 points) in 53 games this season, which puts them atop the Northeast division and 2nd in the Eastern conference. The Providence Bruins are 32-18-0-4 (68 points) in 54 games this season, 1st in the Atlantic division and 3rd in the Eastern conference.

The P-Bruins are coming off an impressive come-from behind 3-1 victory over the Worcester Sharks last night, in which they scored 3 unanswered 3rd period goals, including a power play goal by Kyle MacKinnon, the game winner by Alden Hirschfeld, and the empty netter by Trent Whitfield.

Springfield is coming off a semi-double header yesterday against the Adirondack Phantoms in which they completed a game that had previously been suspended two weeks ago when Wade MacLeod suffered a seizure after being boarded during the 2nd period of the game. The 2 teams finished that game last night, then played another full game. Springfield won the resumption of the previously suspended game in a shootout by a score of 3-2, then destroyed the Phantoms in the 2nd game in a 7-2 victory. So although the Falcons may be tired coming off a game and a half played last night, they are riding high off winning 2 games in one night.

On the road, the P-Bruins are 15-10-0-1 this season. At home, the Falcons are 17-7-1-3. In the last 10 games, the P-Bruins are 7-2-0-1, and the Falcons are 6-3-1-0.

The P-Bruins have a +9 goal differential this season but Springfield is an impressive +45. The Falcons 129 total goals against this season is the 2nd fewest in the entire league, with the Wilkes-Barres/Scranton Penguins giving up 1 fewer (128). The Falcons PP is 7th in the AHL and the P-Bruins is 14th. On the PK, Springfield is 5th and Providence is 15th.

This will the 6th of 10 meetings between Providence and Springfield this season. The Falcons are leading the season series 3-2-0-0, with all games being decided in regulation. The Falcons have outscored the P-Bruins 15-12, including one shutout.

 

Image courtesy of Springfield Falcons.

The last time the teams met was on January 12th, when Springfield won 4-2 behind 2 goals from their leading scorer Jonathan Audy-Marchessault (17 goals, 34 assists = 51 points) and 23 saves from goaltender Allen York. Michael Hutchinson was in net for Providence, losing his 2nd game to Springfield in 2 starts against them this season.

Audy-Marchsessault of Springfield and MacKinnon of Providence both have a goal and 2 assists each in the last 2 games for their teams. 2/3 of Providence’s leading scorers will miss tonight’s game with injury: Ryan Spooner (10 goals, 28 assists = 38 points, 1st on team) and Carter Camper (6 goals, 29 assists = 35 points, 3rd on team) continue to be out of the lineup. Jamie Tardif, 2nd on the team in scoring (26 goals, 11 assists = 37 points), returned to the lineup last night and had an assist. Craig Cunningham is 4th in scoring for Providence (14 goals, 12 assists = 26 points) along with  defenseman and CCM/AHL Rookie of the Month Torey Krug (9 goals, 17 assists = 26 points).

League Leaders:

• Audy-Marchessault leads the AHL in assists with 34, and is tied for 3rd in points with 51.
  
• Tardif is 2nd in the AHL in power play goals with 12.
• Bobby Robins is tied for 2nd in minor penalties (36), major penalties (31), and penalty minutes (251).
• Dalton Smith of Springfield is 3rd in AHL rookies in penalty minutes (90) and tied for 2nd (10).
• Ryan Craig of Springfield is 4th in power play points in the AHL with 22, and 1st among active AHLers.
• Niklas Svedberg is tied for 1st in goaltender wins in the AHL with 26, and is 1st in AHL goaltender rookies in wins. Curtis McElhinney is 2nd with 22.
• McElhinney is 1st in shutouts with 7.
• Svedberg is tied for in shootout wins with 5.
• Svedberg’s 2.30 GAA is tied for 9th best in the AHL, while McElhinney is 14th 2.37.

Don’t Forget:

• Check out this Bobby Robins blog post from February 28.
• Today is Michael Hutchinson’s 22nd birthday. Happy Birthday to him!

Baby Bruins Begin March with Exciting Win over Worcester

Alden Hirschfeld and Kyle MacKinnon stepped up big tonight, which is especially important in the absence of many key injured players. What great depth the Bruins have even in their farm system.

With the game knotted at 1-1 with less than three minutes left in regulation in Friday night’s match up between divisional rival Worcester Sharks and Providence Bruins at the Dunkin Donuts center in Providence, P-Bruins forward Alden Hirschfeld was in on the forecheck in the offensive zone against two Worcester Sharks defenders. His aggressive pursuit of the puck caused a turnover, and he made no mistake when he rushed in on Worcester goaltender Alex Stalock, netting his 3rd goal of the season and the eventual game-winner at 17:33 of the 3rd period to give the P-Bruins their first lead of the game. Trent Whitfield added an empty-net goal 90 seconds later to secure the 3-1 victory, halting the P-Bruins 2-game losing streak and giving them a proper start to the month of March.

The victory also carried on the impressive streak of rookie goaltender Niklas Svedberg, who had a 10-game winning streak come to an end on Tuesday against Portland: Svedberg has not lost 2 games in a row in regulation this season, at all. Svedberg made 18 saves on 19 shots and picked up his 26th win of the season as Providence improved to 32-18-0-4 in 54 games this season – and 17-8-0-3 at home. Although they now sit in first place in the Atlantic division with 68 points, they have played one more game than the Portland Pirates, who sit in 2nd place with 66 points in 53 games.

The game remained scoreless until the final minute of the 2nd period, when Worcester’s Marek Viedensky beat Svedberg on a shorthanded opportunity with his 2nd goal of the season (unassisted, at 19:15 of the 2nd).

Providence’s power play seemed to be suffering heavily, and even failed at a 5-on-3 earlier in the game, but were given yet another 5-on-3 in the 3rd period when Nick Petrecki joined Brodie Reid in the penalty box about halfway through the final period. Reid’s cross-checking minor expired, but Providence kept pressure on with the remaining time in the man-advantage. Craig Cunningham sent a pass to Jamie Tardif, who in turn gave a beautiful set up to Kyle MacKinnon. MacKinnon’s 10th goal of the season, a power play goal, came at 12:53 of the 3rd period and tied the game at 1-1.

After Hirschfeld’s brilliant goal that gave Providence the go-ahead goal late in the game was assisted by Garnet Exelby, who picked up another assist on Whitfield’s empty net goal. Whitfield’s goal may involved a great individual spin-around effort to hit the open net and earn his 5th of the season at 19:02 of the 3rd period, with the secondary assist to Exelby and the primary assist to Christian Hanson.

Notes:

• The games three stars were: (3) Alex Stalock; (2) Craig Cunningham; (1) Alden Hirschfeld.
• Providence out-shot Worcester 23-19.
• Providence was successful in killing off all 4 of Worcester’s power play opportunities, and although they were 1-for-6 on the power play, they also gave up a shorthanded goal.
• Bobby Robins picked up his AHL-leading 31st major penalty of the season.
• Jordan Caron had 2 clear breakaway opportunities, and was stopped by Stalock on both. He was a -1 on the night.
• This was the 10th of 12 meetings this season between Worcester and Providence. Providence now leads the season series 5-3-0-2, including the last 4 wins in a row.
• Tardif returned tonight for the first time since February 17th, when he suffered a back injury.
• The P-Bruins are plagued by injury. They are currently without forwards Ryan Spooner (lower body), Carter Camper (upper body), Max Sauve (knee), and Jared Knight (still; hamstring, again/still); and defensemen Zach Trotman (recurrent concussion symptoms), David Warsofsky (knee), and Ryan Button, (lower body). Camper and Trotman are hopeful to return next week.
• Torey Krug was named CCM/AHLRookie of the Month for February!!
• Providence faces off against the Springfield Falcons tomorrow night at 7pm in Springfield.

Providence Loses to Norfolk in Shootout

Christian Hanson has 5 shots on net in last night’s loss, scored his 7th goal of the season, contributed to Miller’s 3rd period goal, and had another potential goal waived off. He has stepped up in recent games in the absence of other scorers and been a solid presence in the center position for the Providence Bruins all season.

The Providence Bruins collected 3 out of a possible 4 points in Virginia this weekend in their two games against the Norfolk Admirals after they lost the 2nd game of the back-to-back weekend match-up 3-2 in the 6th round of a shootout. Michael Hutchinson made 34 saves in net for Providence while Christian Hanson and defenseman Kevan Miller scored the P-Bruins regulation goals. To see highlights of the game, click here (courtesy of the Norfolk Admirals youtube page!)

Providence’s Tyler Randell and Norfolk’s Pierre-Luc Letourneau-Leblond wasted no time in dropping the gloves, squaring off just 7 seconds into the game. Another fight broke out only 38 seconds later between Bobby Robins and Troy Bodie. Robins leads the AHL in total penalty minutes (242) and major penalties (51).

5:32 into the 1st period, Craig Cunningham was whistled for a holding minor, putting the Admirals on the power play. Norfolk then went on the 2-man advantage 17 seconds later when Trent Whitfield was sent to join Cunningham in the penalty box for a tripping infraction. Although the month of February has seen the Providence Bruins superb penalty kill successfully kill off 31 of 33 penalties prior to last night’s game, they were unable to overcome the 2-man deficit. Norfolk’s Dan Sexton scored on a feed across the crease from Luca Caputi, with a secondary assist to Sami Vatanen. Sexton’s power play goal was the 4th of the season and came at 6:49 of the 1st period.

Providence would get their own 5-on-3 power play opportunity later in the 1st period after Norfolk’s Brandon McMillan and Nate Guenin each took slashing minors at 7:40 and 8:40 of the 1st period. Another part of Providence’s recent success had been their power play (their February power play had been 13-for-50, or 26%, before last night), but it failed them last night. They went 0-for-6 overall on the power play last night, including a full minute on the 2-man advantage.

Providence finally beat Norfolk’s Frederik Andersen in the 2nd period on Christian Hanson’s 7th of the year. The goal, which game at 7:11 of the middle frame, was assisted by Justin Florek and Bobby Robins. Providence then took the lead at 9:24 of the 3rd period when Kevan Miller scored his 1st goal of the season. Matt Bartkowski assisted on the goal, earning his 4th assist in 2 games this weekend. Ryan Spooner also had an assist on the goal, adding to his team-leading 38 points. It was Spooner’s 28th assist of the season, which puts him 2nd overall in AHL rookie assist leaders (1st among active AHL players).

Providence was unable to hold onto the lead, however. At 15:34 of the 3rd period, McMillan notched his 4th goal of the season to tie the game at 2, with assists Emerson Etem and Sexton.

The game went to a shootout in which each goaltender allowed only 1 goal through the first 5 rounds (Graham Mink scored for Providence, Luca Caputi for Norfolk). In the 6th round, the newest P-Bruin, Nicolas Tremblay, failed to score and on the next shot, Norfolk’s Jordan Hendry beat Hutchinson to win the game for the Admirals.

Norfolk goaltender earned 1st star honors, making 37 savves on 39 shots and stopping 5 out of 6 shooters in the shootout. McMillan and Sexton were named 2nd and 3rd stars.

The P-Bruins are now 37-17-0-4 on the season, good for 66 points in 52 games. They remain in 1st place in the Atlantic division, 4 points ahead of 2nd place Portland but with 1 more game played than the Pirates. Providence has still earned a point in 6 straight games (5-0-0-1 in that stretch) and are 8-1-0-1 in the last 10.

Providence faces off against the Pirates on Tuesday, February 26th in Portland, Maine. Will they be able to finish off their dominant February on an equally dominant note? They will need their power play and penalty kill to come through for them again, and they will certainly need players like Torey Krug, who was on a tear at the end of January and for the majority of February, to start putting up points again. Hopefully other leading scorers Carter Camper and Jamie Tardif, among others injured, will be returning soon as well. Stay tuned!

Pregaming: Providence at Norfolk

Torey Krug is a fantastic goal scorer and a hilarious fighter.

The Providence Bruins will face the Norfolk Admirals twice this weekend in Norfolk in the first meetings between the two teams this season. The 10-hour bus ride to Norfolk is the longest road trip of the P-Bruins season and the two games against the Admirals will be the only two the P-Bruins play this weekend.

Coming into tonight’s 7:30 puck drop, Providence remains in 1st place in the Atlantic division and 3rd place in the Eastern conference with a 30-17-0-3 record (63 points) in 50 games played. They are undefeated in the last 4 games, 9-1-0-0 in the last 10 games and 14-9-0-0 on the road this season.

Norfolk is in last place in the East division and 14th place in the Eastern conference with a 22-24-3-1 record(48 points)  in 50 games. The Admirals, who were the 2012 Calder Cup Champions, are 6-3-1-0 in the last 10, including 3-0-1-0 in the last 4 games, and 13-10-2-0 at home this season.

The Admirals are 23rd on the power play (14.5%), while the Bruins have improved vastly to 13th place (17.3%). On the penalty kill, Providence also ranks 13th (83.9%), one spot behind 12th-ranked Norfolk (84.5%).

Ryan Spooner leads the P-Bruins in points with 37 (10 goals, 27 assists). The next 2 leading scorers, Jamie Tardif and Carter Camper, did not make the road trip as they are out with upper body injuries along with Zach Trotman; Max Sauve and David Warsofsky are out with lower body injuries as well.

Due to the injuries, forward Alden Hirschfeld was recalled on loan from South Carolina and Nicolas Tremblay (Bakersfield) was signed to a PTO. (Providence Bruins)

The Admirals leading scorer is defenseman Sami Vatanen who has 4 goals and 23 assists for 27 points. Conversely, the P-Bruins leading scorer on defense is Torey Krug, who has 7 goals and 17 assists for 24 points, which places him 5th on the team behind forwards Spooner, Tardif, Camper, and Craig Cunningham.

Next on the list for the Admirals, whose NHL affiliate is the Anaheim Ducks, are forwards Emerson Etem (13 goals, 2 assists) and Devante Smith-Pelly (6 goals, 9 assists), each with 15 points.

In goal, Niklas Svedberg will get the start for the P-Bruins. Svedberg hasn’t lost in regulation since January 2nd and is on a 9 game winning streak. The rookie has a 24-6-2 record, 2.32 GAA, and .921 save %. He ranks 2nd in the AHL in wins. He has appeared in 33 games.

Norfolk’s goaltending is evenly split between Frederik Andersen and Igor Bobkov, who have each appeared in 24 games. Andersen, also a rookie, is 10-10-1, has a 2.28 GAA and .929 save %. Andersen ranks 4th in the AHL in save %. Bobkov 10-14-0 with a 3.05 GAA and .906 save %.

The P-Bruins will look to finish the month of February strong as they play their final weekend games tonight and tomorrow. They have had a wildly successful month of February thus far with a record of 7-1-0-0 and a goal differential of +13, holding their opponents to just 19 goals in 8 games. They play their final game of the month in Portland against the Pirates on the 26th.

Some more February tidbits (if I did my math correctly) are that, going into tonight, though 8 games in February the P-Bruins are 11-for-45 on the power play, which is a 24.4% success rate, and 28-for-30 on the penalty kill (93.3%). They have out-shot their opponents 251 to 230 in addition to outscoring them 31 to 19.

The leading scorers in February have been Camper (1 goal, 9 assists), Krug (2 goals, 8 assists), and Spooner (2 goals, 8 assists) with 10 points each, followed by Cunningham with 5 goals and 3 assists for 8 points, and Tardif (5 goals, 1 assist) and Matt Bartkowski (1 goal, 5 assists) with 6 points each. Kyle MacKinnon has recorded 4 goals and 1 assist for 5 points this month after recording only 10 points in the previous 4 months. Graham Mink has also recorded 5 points after his PTO became a permanent contract with the club (2 goals, 3 assists), and Jordan Caron has contributed 2 goals and 2 assists since returning from injury earlier this month.

In the previous 8 games this month, 12 different Providence Bruins have been named as one of the three stars of the game, including Mink, captain Trent Whitfield, Spooner, and Tardif. To be named 1st star of the game once apiece have been both goaltenders – Svedberg as well as Michael Hutchinson, as well as Camper, MacKinnon, Krug, and Caron. Caron was also named 3rd star in a  separate game, while Cunningham received 2nd star and 3rd star honors in separate games.

Spectacularly, Torey Krug has had a fantastic month despite his consecutive scoring streak coming to an end – he has been named a star of the game in 4 separate games, receiving 1st star honors and 3rd star honors once, and 2nd star honors twice. Although he got off to a slow start this season, Krug has truly shown that he is one of the future stars of the Bruins organization. Hopefully he can keep that going tonight in Norfolk with the rest of the shining Providence Bruins team.

Tardif and MacDermid Sent to Providence

Lane MacDermid was sent to Providence on a conditioning loan on Monday.

Jamie Tardif has been sent back down to the Providence Bruins after being called up to Boston on February 1st. Tardif played in 2 games for the Boston Bruins, which included his NHL debut at the age of 28.

Lane MacDermid has also been sent to Providence, but on a “conditioning loan” rather than on a permanent basis. He has played in 3 games for Boston this season. The timing of the conditioning loan coincides with 2 rare weekday games for the P-Bruins, who play tonight and tomorrow night in games that were originally scheduled for Friday and Saturday night but had to be postponed due to the snow. MacDermid will likely return to Boston after tomorrow’s game.

Tardif and MacDermid will both play for the P-Bruins tonight against the Portland Pirates in Providence. Jordan Caron will also return to the lineup after taking a puck to the face a few weeks ago. The winner of tonight’s game will gain 1st place in the Atlantic division.

Thank You Kessel: Bruins/ Maple Leafs Preview

That “thank you” will never ever get old in Boston, just saying. Tonight the Boston Bruins will square off against division rivals the Toronto Maple Leafs in Toronto. This is the first of four meetings between the North East division rivals. Looking back to the last season, the Bruins won all six meetings against the Leafs outscoring them 36-10. This is a new season, a shortened season at that, so it’s really any ones game.

Boston is coming off of their first regulation loss against the Buffalo Sabres and are looking to maintain their first place division lead. On the other hand, Toronto is looking to increase their win streak to three after beating out the Washington Capitals for their first win and the Sabres earlier this week.

Will Marchand continue to lead the team in goals? (Credit:Flickr/Steph Vail)

Bruins missing 2/3 of their fourth line:
Both Shawn Thornton and Daniel Paille did not make the trip to Toronto and as of now are both out with injuries. Thornton suffered a concussion in the first period of Thursday’s game while Paille is out with an injury from a high sticking in the third period. Both men left the ice and never returned to the game.

AHL coming up big for both teams:
Because the “Merlot line” is out for the time being the Bruins will rely on their Providence boys to make up for loss players. Jamie Tardif  was recalled on an emergency basis on Friday while Chris Bourque and Lane Macdermid have been switching between playing and healthy scratch since the season started. All three are expected to play tomorrow.

On Toronto’s end they are also relying on their AHL team. Matt Frattin has four goals and two assists in four games since he was called up from the Toronto Marlies. He’s currently playing on a line with fellow AHL linemates Nazem Kadri and Leo Komarov. Kadri leads the Leafs with seven points (three goals, four assists) in seven games. It looks like this lines chemistry has been successful as Frattin scored the game winner against the Caps on Thursday.

Boston’s Best:
–David Krejci and Nathan Horton both have five-game points streaks and are looking to continue this tonight.
– Brad Marchand had a team high five goals and scored two of them against Buffalo on Thursday.

Injury report:
Like I said, Boston will be without Thornton and Paille. Toronto has Joffrey Lupul (broken forearm), Clarke MacArthur (lacerated pinkie) and Mike Brown (shoulder) on its injury list.

Puck drops tonight at 7pm on NESN!

For the Maple Leafs side of things be sure to check out Maple-Glazed!