The win gives Providence sole possession of second place in the Eastern Conference.
SPRINGFIELD – The Calder Cup playoffs are still a month away, but Saturday night’s game sure had a postseason feel to it.
The Providence Bruins sent the Springfield Falcons to their fifth straight loss, 5-2 before 5,689 at the MassMutual Center.
The big crowd could not energize the Falcons – or what’s left of them. Call-ups by the parent Columbus Blue Jackets have them reeling.
“We need to find a way out of this,” Falcons coach Brad Larsen said. “There’s no magic formula. It’s going to take all three lines.”
Only three of the five losses (0-3-1-1) came in regulation, which means the Falcons have earned two points during the slump. They still have a comfortable lead in the Northeast Division.
Matt Sauve scored with 3:24 left in the game to ice it for the P-Bruins. Kyle McKinnon added an empty-netter – his second goal of the game – to make it 5-2 in the waning seconds.
This was a game between evenly matched teams. The Falcons and P-Bruins entered the game tied for second place in the Eastern Conference, and now that spot belongs to Providence.
“Every team is jockeying for position and these are like playoff games,” Larsen said.
Both teams were in a defense-first mode. Scoring chances were limited until Providence took charge in the decisive third period and outshot the Falcons, 15-8.
“It was just poor execution by us,” Larsen said. “We just made some mistakes.”
Paul Dainton (30 saves) played well in goal for the Falcons. Bruins prospect Niklas Svedberg (27 saves) was equally impressive.
A crucial breakdown in the defensive zone cost the Falcons.
McKinnon scored with 6:48 remaining to snap a 2-2 tie. Dainton rejected a shot by Ryan Spooner, but the Falcons failed to clear the rebound. The P-Bruins gained control and McKinnon found the back of the net.
Nick Drazenovic tied the score at two apiece at 9:04 of the third period. It was the result of hard work by a veteran line.
Ryan Russell slid a backhand pass from the right corner to Drazenovic, who beat Svedberg from the high slot. It was his 17th goal, tying him with Ryan Craig for second on the team.
It was also Drazenovic’s 100th career goal. All have come in the AHL.
“I’m a little down right now, but we’ve got the talent to turn this around,” Drazenovic said.
Providence cashed in on a power play 2:02 into the third period on a goal by Spooner. One of Boston’s top prospects, Spooner sent a shot through a screen that hit Dainton’s left shoulder and caromed into the net for a 2-1 Providence lead.
The Falcons squandered two opportunities to break a 1-1 tie in the second period, failing to capitalize on two late power plays.
Springfield’s Nathan Moon and Providence’s Justin Florek traded goals in the first period.
Moon opened the scoring midway through the first. After Svedberg stopped a shot by Dalton Smith, Moon got the rebound at the top of the right faceoff circle and sailed a shot into the net.
“I knew I had to skate hard toward the net to get the rebound,” Moon said.
Providence pulled even, 1-1, with 2:15 remaining. After Dainton stopped a shot by Colby Cohen, Florek knocked in the rebound.