A home-and-home series concludes as the Providence Bruins visit the Springfield Thunderbirds this Saturday night in the FloHockey AHL Game of the Week (7:00 p.m. ET).

• Chicago Blackhawks Prospect Kevin Korchinski Wins The AHL All-Star MVP
  
• Eastern Conference Wins AHL All-Star Skills Competition, See The Results
  
• More AHL Hockey News
• Subscribe to FloHockey today to watch the AHL all season long

Providence (25-14-4-1) poured 45 shots on Springfield goaltender Vadim Zherenko in a 3-2 shootout win Friday night at home. A Max Jones goal with 3:55 to go in regulation helped to set up Vinni Lettieri’s deciding tally in the shootout. Goaltender Brandon Bussi stopped all three of Springfield’s shootout chances as the P-Bruins won for the seventh time in their past nine games (7-1-1-0) to keep pace in their fight for playoff positioning.

A six-game point streak (4-0-0-2) has enabled Springfield (21-17-2-3) to begin to pull away from the struggling Hartford Wolf Pack in a bid to stay above the Atlantic Division playoff line. Friday’s shootout loss moved the Thunderbirds six points ahead of Hartford.

Providence Bruins at Springfield Thunderbirds

Saturday, 7:00 p.m. ET* -- MassMutual 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)

With Bussi getting Friday’s start, it’s likely that head coach Ryan Mougenel will turn to AHL All-Star Michael DiPietro for the back end of this home-and-home series.

DiPietro, a one-time Vancouver Canucks prospect, has found new life in the Boston organization since an Oct. 2022 trade brought him east from Vancouver. He spent most of the 2022-23 season with the organization’s ECHL affiliate, the Maine Mariners, before winning a full-time spot in Providence last season. When Bussi struggled to begin this season, DiPietro excelled and has continued ever since. At 16-5-4 | 1.91 | .932, he leads the AHL in goals-against average while ranking second in save percentage.

The Providence defense corps lost AHL All-Star Michael Callahan on recall to Boston on Friday. Forward Matthew Poitras also went up to Boston.

Forward prospect Georgii Merkulov has the Providence scoring lead with 11-28-39 through 41 games and is tied for fifth in AHL scoring. Lettieri has a team-leading 14 goals in 36 appearances. Tyler Pitlick scored his 13th goal Friday, moving him into a second-place tie with Riley Tufte for the P-Bruins, and Jones has 10 goals in only 29 games.

Springfield Thunderbirds (St. Louis Blues)

Help from St. Louis has fortified the Springfield line-up this week as the Blues reassigned defenseman Matt Kessel and forward Mackenzie MacEachern to their AHL affiliate following brief recalls.

Since a 1-6-1-1 slump that stretched into the new calendar year, the Thunderbirds have solidified their hold on a playoff spot. They are 8-2-0-2 in their past 12 games and are averaging 3.83 goals per game in that span. Friday was only the second time that they have been held to fewer than three goals in a game in that 12-game period. Thunderbirds captain Matthew Peca leads the team with 16-19-35 in 40 games.

It was the second time that Zherenko has stopped 40-plus shots in the past week; he made 48 saves in a 7-2 win at Iowa last Saturday. Colten Ellis has taken the majority of the goaltending workload this season, going 15-6-2 | 2.51 | .924. He ranks fifth in the AHL in save percentage and has won seven of his past eight appearances.

Samuel Johannesson leads all Springfield defensemen with 3-18-21 in 43 games. He signed with St. Louis last April following parts of seven seasons in the SHL. Kessel collected his fifth goal of the season Friday.

AHL All-Star forward Dalibor Dvorsky picked up an assist Friday and has himself tied for fourth in league rookie scoring with 13-27-30 in 39 games. Taken 10th overall in the 2023 NHL Draft by the Blues, Dvorsky is just 19 years old and leads the Thunderbirds with six power-play goals.

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

How To Watch The AHL On FloHockey 

The AHL is streaming on FloHockey and the FloSports app. Live games, replays, highlights and breaking news will be on both platforms. 

NHL Prospect Coverage On FloHockey

The best and most complete coverage of the NHL minor league hockey and NHL Draft news is found on FloHockey. Don't miss the latest new prospect guides, rankings and more from Chris Peters and the FloHockey staff.

Watch AHL, ECHL, USHL, And More On FloHockey

FloHockey is the streaming home to some of the best hockey leagues in North America, including the AHL, ECHL, USHL, and more. Check out the broadcast schedule to watch more hockey.

Join The Hockey Conversation On FloHockey Social

• Follow us on Twitter @FloHockey
• Follow us on Instagram @flohockey
• Follow us on TikTok @flohockeytv
• Watch us on YouTube
• Like us on Facebook