Mere seconds were all the Providence Bruins needed to turn Friday night into a wild 5-4 escape in Hamilton.
Mason Eyssimont ripped off a natural hat trick in the final minutes at TD Coliseum, finishing the comeback with the go-ahead goal and sending the P-Bruins home with a 5-4 win over the Hamilton Hammers. Ty Gallagher was right in the middle of everything, piling up four assists, while Riley Duran and Alex Steeves each finished with a goal and an assist.
Hamilton looked in control early and for much of the night. Joey Larson opened the scoring on a rebound from the bottom of the left circle with 15:18 left in the first period, then Liam Foudy doubled the lead with 5:09 remaining in the opening frame when his backhand from the left post beat the goaltender glove side.
The Hammers pushed it to 3-0 in the second period when Pierre Engvall cleaned up a rebound in the slot and snapped it inside the left post with 8:42 left in the frame.
Providence finally cracked through late in the third. Gallagher fired from the right circle, and Duran buried the rebound under the goaltender’s pads to make it 3-1 with 15:21 to play. Then Gallagher’s point shot created another scramble, and Steeves finished at the right post to pull the P-Bruins within one at 3-2 with 9:18 left.
Hamilton answered with a shorthanded breakaway goal from Cam Thiesing to stretch the margin back to 4-2 with 3:04 remaining. That should have been enough. It wasn’t.
Ivan Ivan sent a pass from the left circle across the crease to Eyssimont, who redirected it in for a power-play goal with 2:08 left to make it 4-3. Exactly one minute later, Eyssimont struck again on a rebound at the bottom of the left circle to tie it 4-4.
Then came the finish. Eyssimont won a battle along the left boards, carried the puck down to the bottom of the circle, and slipped a wrist shot inside the near post with 25 seconds left to complete the natural hat trick and seal the comeback.
The win pushed Providence to four straight, and each of those victories has come with five or more goals. The P-Bruins have scored 25 goals during the streak.
Eyssimont’s night was a big one in every sense. It was his third hat trick of the season, and all three goals came in a span of 1:43. He now leads the AHL with 13 goals.
Gallagher’s four-point night was a career high, and he’s now collected points in four straight games with nine total over that stretch. Steeves has scored in back-to-back games.
Simon Zajicek made 24 saves on 28 shots, while Providence fired 51 shots overall. The P-Bruins went 1-for-3 on the power play and were perfect on the penalty kill, stopping all four Hamilton chances.
Providence improved to 6-6-0-0 and now heads to Belleville for a matchup with the Senators on Saturday, November 7 at CIBC Place. Puck drop is set for 7:00 p.m.
In Other News...
Bruins Suddenly Have A Mikey Eyssimont Decision To Make
Mikey Eyssimont is making it harder for the Bruins to keep treating him like a depth piece. After clearing waivers and landing back with Providence, he has kept producing at a level that stands out even in the AHL, and his latest performance came in a wild 5-4 comeback win over Hamilton in which the Bruins erased a 3-0 hole. Eyssimont had already been recognized as the AHL Player of the Month for October, and the return to the lineup only added to the sense that he is forcing the issue.
For Boston, the question is no longer just whether Eyssimont can help in Providence. It is whether his strong play down there changes the conversation about his place in the organization and what kind of value he might carry if the Bruins decide to explore the trade market. He has become one of those players whose next step matters because it could affect both the NHL roster picture and whatever options Boston has later on. [Read more 🡒]
Bruins Suddenly Face A James Hagens Problem They Cant Ignore
The Bruins had to make an immediate roster move after James Hagens went on injured reserve following the injury he sustained against the Penguins. Boston is already dealing with the ripple effects of losing a forward who was hurt in a game that turned physical, and the team has not yet offered a clear update from its head coach on how long the absence might last.
Mikey Eyssimont was recalled from Providence to fill the opening, giving Boston another option as it tries to keep its forward group steady. For now, the bigger concern is Hagens and what the Bruins can expect next, especially with the injury coming on a cross-check and the team still waiting to learn more about his status. [Read more 🡒]
Bruins Get A Timely Boost As Goaltending Picture Tightens
The Bruins head into a divisional matchup with Florida in a better spot than they were not long ago, at least when it comes to the crease. Jeremy Swayman is expected to start, and the organization has reason to feel a little more settled with Michael DiPietro giving Providence steady work behind him. For a team trying to keep its footing in a tight stretch of the schedule, having both the NHL starter and the next man up trending well matters.
Providence added to that sense of momentum with a comeback win of its own, a result that only deepens the clubs confidence in its depth chart. The Bruins are still sorting through the bigger picture, but the goaltending situation has tightened in a way that gives them more options, and for now that is the kind of development a team can use before a matchup with a division rival. [Read more 🡒]