GAME NOTES
Providence and Springfield renew one of the AHL’s oldest rivalries with the cities’ 11th all-time meeting in the Calder Cup Playoffs… It’s a history that dates back to the inaugural year of the league, when the Springfield Indians defeated the Providence Reds, two games to one, in the 1937 playoffs… The most recent postseason meeting came in 2014, when the Bruins defeated the Springfield Falcons, three games to two… The Thunderbirds won the teams’ regular-season series in 2024-25, taking seven of the 12 meetings head-to-head… The Bruins were 23-8-4-1 at Amica Mutual Pavilion this season, including 14-2-2-1 since Christmas… Georgii Merkulov (15-39-54) led Providence in assists and points this season, while Vinni Lettieri (21-29-50), Tyler Pitlick (21-25-46) and Riley Tufte (21-21-42) shared the team lead in goals… First Team AHL All-Star goaltender Michael DiPietro (26-8-5, 2.05, .927) finished second in the league in wins, second in save percentage and third in goals-against average… First Team AHL All-Star forward Matthew Peca (31-32-63) paced the Thunderbirds in scoring this season, and led all scorers with 12 points (4-8-12) in the season series with the Bruins… Colten Ellis (22-14-3, 2.63, .922) was 5-1-0 with a .932 save percentage in six starts against the Bruins in 2024-25… Providence ended the regular season with a four-game winning streak; Springfield lost their last four and 12 of its last 16 down the stretch… Providence is making its 11th consecutive appearance in the Calder Cup Playoffs, but has lost six straight series.
