Poitras' Late Tally Sends Providence to 3-2 Win; DiPietro 39 Saves

Matthew Poitras redirected the decisive goal at 58:11, giving Providence its first lead and a 3-2 victory over the Hartford Wolf Pack at PeoplesBank Arena in Hartford, CT. Michael DiPietro stopped 39 shots to earn the win, and four seconds after Poitras’ strike Providence received a powerplay with Hartford’s goalie pulled, a sequence that all but extinguished Hartford’s late comeback hopes.

Hartford struck first when Trey Fix-Wolansky received a pass in the right circle and fired inside the far post to make it 1-0 just 2:38 into the game. Derrick Pouliot extended the Wolf Pack lead early in the second period (cumulative 26:36) before Providence began its rally. Frederic Brunet cut the deficit to 2-1 with his 11th goal of the season at 32:32, and Riley Tufte tied it at 34:00 with his team-leading 23rd goal of the campaign.

DiPietro’s 39 saves were the backbone of Providence’s comeback. The Providence Bruins news release and game reposts credited DiPietro with 39 stops in the road victory; Blackngoldhockey noted that those saves also helped DiPietro pick up what that outlet reported as his 25th win of the season. Hartford turned to goalie Dylan Gerand in the matchup, and Blackngoldhockey described the game as a duel in net with DiPietro and Gerand trading stops through a tight third period.

The late-game sequence was decisive. Blackngoldhockey’s recap called the bulk of the third a stalemate with quality chances for both sides and said overtime appeared likely until Poitras ended it with 1:49 remaining. After Providence took the 3-2 lead, the late powerplay with Gerand pulled left Hartford with a short window to equalize and shifted momentum to Providence for the final minute.

Providence’s win extended the club’s winning streak to four games and, according to Jake Ferraro’s game account, improved the Bruins to 42-10-1-0 on the season. That record and the late victory feed into a season-long narrative of Providence as one of the AHL’s most consistent clubs; coming off a Feb. 22 loss in Hartford that ended a prior hot stretch, this result served as a measure of immediate redemption and reinforced the Bruins’ standing heading into March.

Hartford will turn its attention to a Friday, March 6 date against the Bridgeport Islanders, while Providence is scheduled to visit Bridgeport on Saturday, March 7. With Poitras delivering late and DiPietro absorbing a heavy workload, Providence leaves Hartford with momentum and a stretch of meaningful road results that will be closely watched by fans and front offices as the calendar advances toward the postseason.