By: Tim A Richardson | Follow Me On Twitter @TimARichardson

Week 20 of the AHL season is here, and the Providence Bruins skate into it 22-13-3-3 (50 points). That is good for second in the Atlantic Division and fourth in the Eastern Conference. Our boys in black and gold are coming off a week that saw them blank Hershey 5-0 and beat Hartford 3-1 before beating Hershey again 4-1. Providence has four big games coming up that you will not want to miss.

The weekend starts on Friday, February 25, 2022, when the Charlotte Checkers come to Rhode Island to take on the Providence Bruins at the Dunk. The weekend continues on Saturday, February 26, 2022, when the Providence Bruins travel to Hartford, Connecticut, to take on the Wolf Pack at the XL Center. Next, on Sunday, February 27, 2022, the Hartford Wolf Pack travel to Providence, Rhode Island, to take on the Bruins at the Dunkin Donuts Center. The weekend ends on Wednesday, March 2, 2022, when Providence Bruins travel to Allentown, Pennsylvania, to take on the Lehigh Valley Phantoms at the PPL Center. Don’t miss the action.

Friday, February 25, 2022, Providence Bruins vs. Charlotte Checkers (HOME)

The Friday matchup marks the second of six the two teams will have this season. Charlotte skates into it 26-18-3 (55 points). That is good for fourth in the Atlantic Division and sixth in the Eastern Conference. The first battle saw Providence win 4-3. Jesper Froden (2), Joona Koppanen, and Jakub Lauko scored for the Bruins. Kyle Keyser made 31 stops in the victory.

The Checkers are in a unique situation this year. Their primary affiliate is the Florida Panthers. However, for this season, they have a secondary affiliate, the Seattle Kraken! That means you could see prospects from organizations playing Providence the weekend. The matchup with the Checkers has been a challenging one for Providence. Over the past five seasons, they are 9-7-1 against the Florida and Seattle affiliate. The Checkers score a ton. They are averaging 3.44 goals a game. They also have a good defense, giving up only 2.95 goals a game.

Saturday, February 26, 2022, and Sunday, February 27, 2022, Providence Bruins vs. Hartford Wolf Pack (AWAY, HOME)

The Saturday and Sunday games mark the eighth and ninth of 10 the two teams will have this season. The Hartford Wolf Pack skates into it 23-15-4-2 (52 points). That is good for third in the Atlantic Division and fifth in the Eastern Conference. In the first meeting, the Bruins fell 4-3 in overtime. Jack Studnicka, Samuel Asselin, and Chris Wagner found the back of the net for Providence. Kyle Keyser stopped 22 of the 25 shots he faced.

The second battle saw the Bruins fall 2-1 in overtime. Jakub Lauko scored the lone goal for our boys in black and gold. Kyle Keyser stopped 27 shots in the loss.

The third game saw the Bruins win 2-1 in overtime. Jesper Froden and Oskar Steen scored for Providence. Troy Grosenick stopped 23 of the 24 shots fired his way.

The fourth matchup saw the Bruins come out victorious 4-0. Jesper Froden, Oskar Steen, Steven Fogarty, and Cameron Hughes scored for Providence. Troy Grosenick stopped 17 shots in the shutout victory.

The fifth game saw the Bruins win 5-1. Zach Senyshyn, Eduards Tralmaks, Jesper Froden, Chris Wagner, and Justin Brazeau scored for Providence. Jeremy Swayman was excellent, stopping 19 of the pucks fired his way.

The sixth game saw the Bruins fall 5-4 in a shootout. Andrew Peski, Joona Koppanen, Jack Ahcan, and Samuel Asselin scored for Providence. Kyle Keyser made 29 stops in the loss.

The seventh battle saw Providence win 3-1. Eduards Tralmaks and Joona Koppanen (2) scored goals for the Bruins. Kyle Keyser stopped 19 shots in the victory.

The Hartford Wolf Pack poses an uphill battle for the Providence Bruins. Over the past five seasons, our boys in black and gold are 24-18-4-2 against the New York affiliate. The Wolf Pack also boasts one of the best offenses in the AHL, scoring 2.90 goals a game. The good news is the Bruins have one of the best defenses in the league, only giving up 2.63 goals a game. Do not miss this one!

Wednesday, March 2, 2022, Providence Bruins vs. Lehigh Valley Phantoms (AWAY)

The Wednesday matchup will mark the third of six the Phantoms and Bruins have this season. The first battle saw the Bruins come out on top 6-3. Matt Filipe, Steven Fogarty, Zach Senyshyn (3), and Jack Studnicka had goals for Providence. Goalie Jon Gillies made 31 stops in the victory.

The second game saw the Bruins fall 5-1. Jesper Froden scored for Providence. The Bruins defense let them down, giving up five goals in the loss.

The Lehigh Valley Phantoms skate into the matchup 18-19-6-3 (45 points). That is good for seventh in the Atlantic Division and 13th in the Eastern Conference. The Philadelphia affiliate has suffered from one of the worst defenses in the AHL. They are giving up 3.15 goals a game. On the flip side, the Providence Bruins only give up 2.63 goals a game, boasting one of the better defenses in the AHL. Grabbing an early lead will help the Bruins. Lehigh Valley is 4-8-3-1 when trailing after one period and 1-12-2-1 when down after two. It will be an exciting game of hockey you do not want to miss.

My Players To Watch This Weekend

Up Front

Eduards Tralmaks: 2021-2022 is Eduards Tralmaks’ first season with Providence. Tralmaks came to the Bruins after having a successful career at the University of Maine at Orono. The young forward has been excellent this season. In 28 games, he’s netted nine goals while dishing out seven assists for 16 total points. He’s also scored a goal in each of his last three games. Look for him this weekend.

On The Blue Line

Victor Berglund: Victor Berglund has been the Providence Bruins’ best defenseman not named Jack Ahcan this season. In 23 games, he’s netted two goals while dishing out seven assists for nine total points. Berglund is having an excellent first season with Providence; look for him this weekend.

In Net

Troy Grosenick: Troy Grosenick is coming off an excellent weekend that saw him stop 64 of the 65 shots he faced in two victories. In 17 games, he’s 11-3-1 with a 2.20 goals-against average and a .922 save percentage. Look for him this weekend.

The Providence Bruins are coming off one of their best weekends of hockey all season. They went 3-0, outscoring their opponents 12-2. It was a dominant performance all around for our boys in black and gold. Let’s hope that momentum rolls over to this weekend’s games. I hope everyone has a great weekend. Feel free to send me any comments or questions on Twitter. As always, Go, Bs, GO!