Unlimited power: Providence postgame

Since the 0-for-31 ended in Laval a month ago, the power play is 17-for-59, 28.8 percent. It scored twice today, including the game-winner.

“Really, all year, it’s had movement,” Brent Thompson said. “Lately it’s being rewarded. … They’re buying into what (Eric Boguniecki) is teaching.”

Casey Bailey’s shot hit a stick and went in for the first goal. Bailey’s shot hit a body — apparently Steve Bernier’s, since they changed the assist — and caromed to Josh Ho-Sang for a nice setup across the top of the crease to Travis St. Denis for the second.

“Obviously it starts in practice,” St. Denis said. “Prescout before the games, what the opponents are going to do. It helps. We’re executing. I think we’ve been scoring some key goals.”

It helped today, when the offense was neither firing on all cylinders (though Dan Vladar made a few big stops, including one five-star stop in the first, stretching the glove to knock away a Bailey rebound) nor sleepy (most of the day was spent in the Providence end). In fact, here’s a dumber than usual fact: This game ended what tied for the third-longest Bridgeport streak of games without scoring either three or four goals*. It had pretty much been all or nothing** the past 10 games, shut out in Springfield after scoring six against the Penguins and Bears.

Three got it done. On to Wilkes-Barre.

“If you look at the way the game went, I liked the way we committed to each other,” Thompson said. “The guys played hard.”

……

Asked Thompson if anything was going on. He said he had nothing. Mike Ianniello leaned in and said Christopher Gibson had just been sent down. So they’ve still got call-ups to play with. (And they’re tweeting before texting.) Eamon McAdam had a couple of weird ones go in on him, but he made some big saves in his fourth win in four decisions. A game like that often blew up on him in the past.

Andre Benoit was sick, Thompson said, hence Ryan MacKinnon’s AHL debut. “It was nice to get that first one in,” MacKinnon said. “It’s been fun for me so far. It’s nice to get that first game.” Thompson thought MacKinnon did a nice job, looked a little nervous early. “It’s been a while since I played at 10:30 in the morning,” MacKinnon said. But he settled in nicely. And he went to the net on Kellen Jones’ goal; puck didn’t get through to him, but it mattered. He picked up an assist at the other end to start that goal. “He has offensive instincts,” Thompson said. “Use ’em. Do what got you here.”

For fun, here’s Tuesday night’s Scoreboard Watching again: Lehigh Valley at Charlotte; Hershey at Wilkes-Barre/Scranton. And in case I forget after tomorrow’s optional, Wednesday Scoreboard Watching: Lehigh Valley at Charlotte; Springfield at Belleville. With the magic number six, Friday is guaranteed meaningful. (Charlotte is off Friday.)

The Bruins were without Zach Senyshyn for about half the game.

Game 7 tonight for Kieffer Bellows.

Mitch Gillam was ECHL goalie of the week and rookie of the month. The Railers play tomorrow in Reading. Their magic number is four.

Sacred Heart alum Evan Jasper got a PTO with Hartford. He was eighth in ECHL rookie scoring coming into today, 21-29-50, for Greenville.

More tomorrow.

*-The longest was the stretch run in 2013-14, after everyone went up to the Islanders after the Olympic break, 14 games, all but one of them two goals or fewer. The second longest was a 12-game streak in 2009-10, all but two of them two or fewer. There was a 10-game streak midway through last season: six twos, three fives and a one. This one was a shutout, three ones, a two, two fives and three sixes.

**-I kept saying “feast or famine” on the second-intermission webcast with Alan because I knew if I said “all or nothing” I was going to start singing this between answers. And no one wants that.

Michael Fornabaio