PROVIDENCE PLAYOFF PREVIEW: BRUINS VS. CHECKERS
May 1, 2025The Providence Bruins will kick off the Atlantic Division Semifinals tomorrow night, hosting the Charlotte Checkers for game one of the best-of-five series. Here is all you need to know heading into the second round of the Calder Cup Playoffs.
Providence and Charlotte have only met one time in the Calder Cup Playoffs. In 2019, the Checkers defeated the Bruins in the Atlantic Division Semifinals 3-1. The P-Bruins recently won their first playoff series since 2017, a 4-3 win over Hershey in the Atlantic Division Finals.
Coming off a first round victory that took all three games of the series, the P-Bruins head into round two with a new sense of confidence and excitement. Providence scored five unanswered goals, four in the final frame, of the series clinching game three victory of the Springfield Thunderbirds last Sunday. Now, the third seed in the Atlantic Division will square off with the second seed, the Checkers, who will have not played a game for 13 days after receiving a first round bye.
Series Schedule
Game One - Charlotte at Providence - Fri., May 2, 7:05 p.m.
Game Two - Charlotte at Providence - Sun., May 4, 7:05 p.m.
Game Three - Providence at Charlotte - Wed., May 7, 7:00 p.m.
*Game Four - Providence at Charlotte - Fri., May 9, 7:00 p.m.
*Game Five - Providence at Charlotte - Sun., May 11, 3:00 p.m.
*if necessary
The regular season series between the Bruins and Checkers was brief, though recent. Providence and Charlotte met four times in the 72-game slate, all coming in the last 11 contests of the year. The P-Bruins posted a 1-2-1 record in those four matchups, dropping the first two road contests, shutting out the Checkers in the first home game, and falling in overtime in the final matchup.
Regular Season Matchup
March 25 - Providence 3 at Charlotte 6
March 26 - Providence 2 at Charlotte 5
April 4 - Charlotte 0 at Providence 4
April 6 - Charlotte 3 at Providence 2 - OT
Regular Season By the Numbers
The P-Bruins and Checkers were amongst the league leaders in special teams play throughout the 2024-25 season. Providence ranked third in the AHL with a 21.4% success rate on the power play, while Charlotte stood in fifth with a 21.2% conversion rate. On the defensive side, the P-Bruins ranked second in the AHL killing 85.7% of penalties, while the Checkers had the highest penalty kill rate in the league at 86.6%.
Providence
Record 41-23-5-3
Division Rank 3rd
Goals For 240
Goals Against 188
Power Play 21.4% (56/262)
Penalty Kill 85.7% (35/245)
Leading Scorers Merkulov (15-39-54)
Lettieri (21-29-50)
Pitlick (21-25-46)
Charlotte
Record 44-22-3-3
Division Rank 2nd
Goals For 234
Goals Against 185
Power Play 21.2% (57/269)
Penalty Kill 86.6% (33/269)
Leading Scorers Leonard (36-25-61)
Carrick (13-37-50)
Asplund (20-23-43)
Tickets for games one and two of the Atlantic Division Semifinals are available now at providencebruins.com.