PROVIDENCE, RI – The Providence Bruins are playing as well on the road as any team in the AHL. Only the league leading Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins have performed better this season. The Bruins have lost only twice all year in 11 games on enemy ice.
The problem is that Providence has only won three times in 15 games on home ice at the Dunkin Donuts Center.
Coach Rob Murray says the showing is embarrassing. “I feel bad for our fan base, it’s not like we’re giving them a good game and losing,” he said. “Teams are coming in here and walking away with two points. We are a big team and we don’t intimidate anybody. We don’t make the other teams’ defensemen pay by getting in on the forecheck and finishing our hits. Our home record is embarrassing.”
The fans are still coming to watch the Bruins, however — the team is third in the AHL in attendance. On Dec. 9, the Bruins acquired forward Juraj Simek in exchange for feisty winger Levi Nelson. They also moved Jordan Knackstedt and Jeff LoVecchio to Florida for defenseman Sean Zimmerman and a seventh-round pick in the NHL 2011 draft.
There are plenty of veterans on the club and Murray says, “it shouldn’t be solely up to me to get the team motivated and ready to play. If I keep yelling at them I’m gonna lose them. There has to be accountability within the team itself.”
Finishing is part of the problem. Providence does not score enough goals despite being fourth in the league in shots on goal. With a lack of scoring come terrible power play numbers. But once again the record is unexplainable.
At home, the Bruins are last in the AHL, with a 7.4 percent success rate. On the road, they are eighth, at 20.5 percent. Overall, they stand at a 12.5 percent power play record. Providence kills penalties better at home than on the road. The goaltending has been another matter.
Rookie Michael Hutchinson has played more games than veteran Nolan Schaefer, sports a respectable 2.90 goals against average and has been the winner in seven of 11 victories.
The AHL schedule is not going to change. Providence plays 80 games and 40 are at home, so at some point the home madness is likely to end. Everyone likes to be home for the holidays; the sooner Providence realizes that, the better.
Contact Thomas.Chace@prohockeynews.ocm
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