As the calendar year nears its end, both Boston Bruins affiliates Providence and Maine are reaching an inflection point. In recent years, the minor league sides have hit a turning point in the last few weeks of December, only to hit the ground running in January on a hot streak.
The Providence Bruins have climbed the standings over the past month, and continued to show signs of improvement with a pair of road wins last weekend. In the first two matchups of a three-game Pennsylvania trip, Providence took down the Lehigh Valley Phantoms, 2-0, on Friday before dispatching the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, 5-1, on Saturday.