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

Week 26 of the AHL season is here, and the Providence Bruins skate into it 31-19-4-6 (72 points). That is good for third in the Atlantic Division and fourth in the Eastern Conference. Our boys in black and gold are coming off a week that saw them fall in overtime to Springfield 1-0 and fall to Syracuse 4-1 before defeating Hartford 4-3 in overtime. The spoked P has three games coming up, all of which are against division foes. It should be an exciting weekend of hockey.

The action starts on Friday, April 8, 2022, when the Providence Bruins travel to Bridgeport, Connecticut, to take on the Islanders at the Total Mortgage Arena. The weekend continues on Saturday, April 9, 2022, when the Bridgeport Islanders travel to Providence, Rhode Island, to take on the Bruins at the Dunkin Donuts Center. The weekend wraps on Monday, April 11, 2022, when the Lehigh Valley Phantoms come to town to take on the Bruins at the Dunk. Do not miss the action.

Friday, April 8, 2022, and Saturday, April 9, 2022, Providence Bruins vs. Bridgeport Islanders (AWAY, HOME)

The Friday and Saturday battles mark the 11th and 12th of 12 the two teams will have this season. In the first meeting between Bridgeport and Providence, the Bruins won 2-1 in a shootout. Taylor Lewington scored for Providence. Jack Ahcan and Matt Filipe added the helper on the goal. Bruins forwards Jesper Froden and Jack Studnicka scored in the shootout for the win. The second meeting saw Providence fall 6-4. Oskar Steen (2), John Moore, and Chris Wagner netted goals. Kyle Keyser stopped 19 shots in the loss.

The third game saw the Bruins win 3-2. Jesper Froden, Zach Senyshyn, and Joona Koppanen were the goal scorers for Providence. Troy Grosenick got the win in goal, stopping 28 shots. The Fourth game saw the Providence Bruins win 2-1 in a shootout. Alex Olivier-Voyer scored for the Bruins. Troy Grosenick made 27 saves in the win.

The fifth game between the two clubs saw the Bruins fall 4-3. Samuel Asselin, Jesper Froden, and Cameron Hughes scored for Providence. Troy Grosenick made 33 saves in the defeat.
The sixth game between Bridgeport and Providence saw the Bruins win 6-3. Zach Senyshyn, Matt Filipe, Samuel Asselin (3), and Steven Fogarty scored goals for Providence. Jeremy Swayman made 22 saves in the victory.

The seventh matchup between the two teams saw the Bruins fall 3-1. Eduards Tralmaks had the lone goal for Providence. The eighth installment of the season series saw the Bruins win 5-3. Justin Brazeau, Samuel Asselin, Jack Ahcan, Eduards Tralmaks, and Jesper Froden scored for Providence.

The ninth matchup saw the Bruins fall 7-4. Chris Wagner, Victor Berglund, Cameron Hughes, and Justin Brazeau scored for Providence. The tenth meeting saw the Bruins fall 3-0.

The Bridgeport Islanders skate into the matchup 27-27-7-4 (65 points). That is good for seventh in the Atlantic Division and 13th in the Eastern Conference. The Islanders have not had much luck this season. They boast one of the worst defenses in the AHL, giving up 3.13 goals a game. On top of that, they are scoring 2.93 goals a game. The Bruins are scoring 2.91 goals a game while giving up 2.68. The key to beating them is getting an early lead and keeping it. The Islanders are 9-11-2-2 when trailing after one period and 3-16-3-2 trailing after two.

Monday, April 11, 2022, Providence Bruins vs. Lehigh Valley Phantoms (HOME)

The Monday matchup will mark the fourth 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 Providence defense let them down, giving up five goals in the loss. The third battle saw the Bruins win 5-3. Zach Senyshyn(2), Steven Fogarty, Oskar Steen and Joona Koppanen scored for Providence. 

The Lehigh Valley Phantoms skate into the matchup 25-27-7-4 (61 points). That is good for eighth in the Atlantic Division and 14th in the Eastern Conference. The Philadelphia affiliate has suffered from one of the worst defenses in the AHL. They are giving up 3.22 goals a game. On the flip side, the Providence Bruins only give up 2.68 goals a game, boasting one of the better defenses in the AHL. Grabbing an early lead will help the Bruins. Lehigh Valley is 8-13-3-1 when trailing after one period and 4-19-2-1 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: Eduards Tralmaks is having an excellent first season in Providence. Tralmaks came to Providence after spending the previous four years at the University of Maine. In 47 games, the young forward has 12 goals while dishing out 11 assists for 23 total points. Look for him this weekend. 

On The Blue Line

Michael Callahan: Michael Callahan is a new addition to the Providence rotation. The young defenseman was a fifth-round pick in the 2018 NHL Draft of the Arizona Coyotes. The Boston Bruins traded for Callahan in February, and he’s played six games with Providence, not registering a point. The Massachusetts native spent the previous four seasons with Providence College, the last three of which he served as Captain. Look for him this weekend. 

In Net

Troy Grosenick: Troy Grosenick has been a veteran anchor for the Bruins in goal this season. In 26 games, he is 15-4-4 with a 2.02 goals-against average and a .930 save percentage. Look for him this weekend.

The Providence Bruins are coming off a rough weekend that saw them go 1-1-1. This weekend’s matchups are highly favorable and the perfect opportunity for Providence to bounce back. As it currently stands, they are in a playoff spot. Providence’s current magic number is 11. That is the number of points needed to earn a playoff spot. That magic number reduces when the Providence Bruins earn points in the standings and when the team with the highest possible percentage outside of the playoffs doesn’t record a point. I hope everyone is enjoying the season. Feel free to send me any comments or questions on Twitter. As always, GO, Bs, GO!