The Providence Bruins continue their fight for playoff positioning when they visit the Utica Comets this Saturday in the FloHockey AHL Game of the Week (7:00 p.m. ET).

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Providence (37-22-4-3) is coming off a 4-0 win against the visiting Charlotte Checkers on Friday night in which Brandon Bussi made 23 saves. Tyler Pitlick and Riley Tufte each had 1-1-2 performances to move the fourth-place P-Bruins to within a point of the second-place Checkers in the Atlantic Division race.

Utica (28-30-5-2) is last in the North Division. Still mathematically alive, they could face impending elimination this weekend. They defeated the visiting Springfield Thunderbirds, 5-2, on Friday night behind a 1-2-3 night from Max Willman for their fourth win in a row.

Providence Bruins at Utica Comets

Saturday, 7:00 p.m. ET* – Adirondack Bank Center

Where to Watch: Subscribers can continue to watch via FloHockey.tv or the FloSports app.

Free Streams: Follow the game across FloHockey's social channels including YouTube, Facebook and X. More details below.

Providence Bruins (Boston Bruins)

Since March 8 the P-Bruins have gone just 5-5-0-1 and are back on the road for the first time since completing an eight-game road trip last month (3-4-0-1).

With Michael DiPietro still out, Bussi made his fifth consecutive start. He has allowed seven goals in his past four contests. Nolan Maier, on recall from the ECHL’s Maine Mariners, has yet to appear in a game with Providence. He has played 10 career AHL games, all with Lehigh Valley.

Providence has been hit hard recently by NHL recalls as Boston plays out the string. Defensemen Michael Callahan and Ian Mitchell are in Boston as are forwards Vinni Lettieri and Patrick Brown. Fabian Lysell and Jeffrey Viel also have spent time with Boston. Forward Max Jones, who had 13 goals in 38 games, left in a trade to the Edmonton Oilers. But rookie forward Fraser Minten has 3-4-7 in 10 games since coming to the Boston organization in a trade with the Toronto Maple Leafs last month.

With Mitchell (4-23-27) in Boston, Frederic Brunet is Providence’s highest-scoring blueliner (5-16-21).

Georgii Merkulov (15-39-54) is Providence’s leading scorer while Lettieri and Pitlick share the team lead with 20 goals apiece. Oliver Wahlstrom has provided 7-4-11 in 14 games since joining Providence after clearing waivers. Matthew Poitras has 14-19-33 in just 34 games in a season split between Boston and Providence.

Rookie forwards Dalton Bancroft and Dans Ločmelis made their pro debuts Friday night. Bancroft, a 24-year-old who had 15-12-27 in 36 games this season at Cornell, signed a one-year entry-level deal with Boston on Friday before joining Providence. Ločmelis, a 2022 fourth-pick by Boston, signed a three-year entry-level deal with the organization. The 21-year-old had 8-25-33 in 40 games at Massachusetts and picked up an assist in his AHL debut.

Providence’s power play is seventh-best in the AHL (21.1 percent). The Providence penalty kill is also fourth in the AHL at 85.3 percent.

Utica Comets (New Jersey Devils)

The Comets have been causing several upper-echelon Eastern Conference teams trouble lately. They took a home-and-home series from the Atlantic Division-leading Hershey Bears last weekend, scoring 11 goals in the process. This past Wednesday morning in Toronto, they took a 2-1 overtime decision against the Marlies.

Isaac Poulter made 19 saves in Friday’s win. Nico Daws is coming off back-to-back wins and had 27 saves in the win at Toronto.

Utica lost top defenseman Seamus Casey on recall to New Jersey this week. Simon Nemec, also on recall to the Devils, remains Utica’s top-scoring blueliner with 5-18-23 in 34 games.

A recent goal-scoring run has allowed captain Ryan Schmelzer to set a new career-high with 19 goals. He tallied Friday, and since ending a nine-game slide without a goal, he has produced four goals in his past four outings. Nathan Légaré scored again Friday night, giving him four goals in as many games; his 16 goals are a career-best at the pro level for the 24-year-old. Leading scorer Nolan Foote (18-21-39) is on recall to New Jersey. Brian Halonen’s 23 goals lead the Comets. Former P-Bruin Marc McLaughlin, acquired from the Boston organization at the NHL trade deadline last month, has five assists in his first 11 games with Utica.

The Utica power play is 23rd in the AHL at 17.3 percent and 28th (78.0 percent) on the penalty kill.

How To Watch AHL Free Stream On YouTube

On Saturdays throughout the season, the AHL and FloHockey will present a free Game of the Week on YouTube. The home team's broadcast will be shared as a free stream on FloHockey's YouTube page. The free broadcast will begin shortly before puck drop. Check FloHockey and AHL social channels to see which game will be streaming each week.

WATCH HERE

How To Watch AHL Free Stream On X

On Saturdays throughout the season, the AHL and FloHockey will present a free Game of the Week on X (formerly known as Twitter). The home team's broadcast will be shared as a free stream on FloHockey's Twitter page. The free broadcast will begin shortly before puck drop, posted on FloHockey's X feed. Check FloHockey and AHL social channels to see which game will be streaming each week.

WATCH HERE

How To Watch AHL Free Stream On Facebook

On Saturdays throughout the season, the AHL and FloHockey will present a free Game of the Week on Facebook. You can access the game multiple ways on the Facebook. FloHockey will stream both home and road (if available) broadcasts on its Facebook page. The game can also be found live on the AHL's Facebook page.

WATCH HERE

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