By: Jake Ferraro | Follow me on Twitter/X @18Jxxx18
The Providence Bruins had to wait and see which team they would play first in the 2026 Calder Cup Playoffs, with clinching the American Hockey League’s best record this season. After the Springfield Thunderbirds defeated the Charlotte Checkers in three games in the first round, Providence then had its opponent to begin the playoffs in the best-of-five Division Semifinals.
Now, Game 1 between Providence and Springfield has arrived tonight at Amica Mutual Pavilion. Puck drop is scheduled for 7:05 p.m. ET. The first two games of the series will be played in Rhode Island.
This season has been an incredible one for Providence, earning 54 wins and 110 points to clinch the fourth Macgregor Kilpatrick Trophy and fourth 50-win season in team history. Providence goaltender Michael DiPietro was named the AHL’s best goaltender and league MVP for his incredible season. DiPietro’s 34 wins led the AHL, and he also posted a 1.91 GAA and a .930 save percentage this season.
Forward Georgii Merkulov led Providence with 37 assists and 61 points, and forward Riley Tufte’s 32 goals led the team this season. Providence got more solid depth with captain Patrick Brown’s 54 points, and his +32 rating led the team this season. Forward Matej Blumel was also solid with his 52 points recorded.
A Look at the Opponent
Springfield is heading into this series as a big underdog. Springfield recorded 21 fewer points than Charlotte in the regular season, but still completed the round one upset by winning Game 3 in overtime by a final score of 2-1, thanks to Julien Gauthier scoring the goal to clinch the series. Springfield recorded 38 fewer points than Providence did this season, but the team showed in round one against Charlotte that they can play against any team.
Forward Chris Wagner led Springfield in the regular season with 24 goals and 50 points, and he’s leading the way again for his team, with his four points being the most on the team’s roster so far in the playoffs. Five players on Springfield’s roster, including Gauthier, have recorded two points in the playoffs. Wagner and Gauthier each have scored two goals in the playoffs. Goaltender Georgi Romanov was excellent in the Charlotte series, winning Games 2 and 3, along with making a combined 63 saves to save Springfield’s season from elimination.
Providence Has Reason to be Worried
Providence now has to show why the team finished atop the AHL this season. However, Providence struggled against Springfield. While Providence won seven of the 12 games in the season series, the five losses against Springfield were the most the team had against any AHL team this season. Along with losing four of the final eight meetings of the season against Springfield, Providence didn’t score more than four goals in any of those games.
April 12 was the last game played between the two teams in Rhode Island, and Providence earned a 1-0 win. Tufted scored the only goal of the game in the third period, and DiPietro made 20 saves to record a shutout.
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