By: Mark Allred | Follow me on Twitter / X @BlackAndGold277
Last night, the American Hockey League Providence Bruins got a much-needed road victory to keep the winning vibes going at the Boston Bruins minor-pro affiliate beat the Bridgeport Islanders 8-4. During the recent three-game Canadian road trip, Providence dropped the last two games on the road up in Laval, Quebec. With last night’s victory over the New York Islanders affiliate, the AHL Bruins got back on track, evening their road record at 3-3-0.
Providence goaltender Brando Bussi got the start at the Total Mortgage Arena in Bridgeport, Connecticut, stopping 32 Islander shots for his first victory of the season after going 0-4-0 to start the 2024-25 campaign. The undrafted netminder has appeared in five games so far this season, and in those rotation opportunities, with tandem member Michael DiPietro has given up four or more goals. This is a bit of a change for the Bruins fans and Bussi himself as a developing netminder who’s had two successful AHL years under his belt after leaving the NCAA ranks at Western Michigan for the minor-pro levels.
Although this is a bit concerning for the Bruins’s developmental depth in goal, it’s also common for netminders to go through leaner years without affecting the individual’s future and skill set. Last night’s win, although giving up four goals, could set the tone for a complete turnaround for the 26-year-old Long Island, New York native. Before last night’s win, Bussi had a 4.09 goals-against-average and a .845 save percentage. While the optics of Brandon’s game may be unappealing when considering his season stats, he’s remained calm and determined to get better for himself and his teammates and their success.
And from someone who has watched every game so far this season via my FloHockey streaming service, the players in front of Brandon need to be accountable for how his numbers look. Much like the parent NHL Bruins, the Providence team’s two-way game has been exposed in many of his starts, frankly hanging Bussi out to dry. Also, the Providence power play has not been anything impressive, sitting at the AHL’s 26th position and penalty kill ranked at 17th, five spots lower than the 12th ranked they were last week.
The Providence Bruins are at home this afternoon to face the Hartford Wolf Pack at the Amica Mutual Pavilion, and fellow netminder Michael DiPietro is likely to get the start. DiPietro is 4-2-0 this year, with a 1.65 GAA and .939 Save% in six games played thus far. With Bussi’s work ethic, I have a feeling this netminder will turn things around soon and be one of the better goaltenders in the league this season. In Bussi’s AHL career, he has a record of 49-21-9 with a 2.64 GAA and .915 Save%, so I don’t believe these troubling times for this B’s prospect will continue much longer.
Also, it’s important to know that goaltending development coach Mike Dunham is always around for added tutelage, so there’s always someone around to lean on in troubling times. Dunham, who’s been with the organization for the last several years, is the goaltending coach who travels around the world, often visiting prospects to work on their game. NHL Bruins goaltending coach Bob Essensa primarily sicks to the Boston organization for home and away games but is with prospects during annual development and NHL training camps.
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