PROVIDENCE, RI – Phil Varone scored and Chris Rumble recorded his first American Hockey League goal as the Binghamton Senators fell to the Providence Bruins 6-2 on Friday night in front of 7,415 at Dunkin’ Donuts Center.
The Bruins went to the power play with 7:49 left in the first period and cashed in for the game’s first goal. Peter Mueller set up down low and sent the puck to Danton Heinen at the top of the right wing circle. Heinen took a few steps in a shot the puck over the shoulder of B-Sens goaltender Chris Driedger. The goal was Heinen’s sixth of the year and came with 7:19 left in the period with assists from Mueller and Alex Grant. Binghamton led in shots after the first period 13-10.
It took only 21 seconds after the puck dropped on the second period for the Bruins to take a two-goal advantage. Colton Hargrove collected a bouncing puck and batted it to Mueller on a rush in the offensive zone. Mueller gathered the puck and quickly fired it from the hash marks and beat Driedger on the glove side for a 2-0 lead on his fifth of the season. Assists were credited to Hargrove and Wayne Simpson.
Binghamton took advantage of a power play in the second period to pull within a goal of Providence. Ryan Rupert took the puck and tapped it to Mike Blunden down the left wall. Varone went right to the net and took a pass from Blunden beating goaltender Zane McIntyre with a deke at the top of the crease. Varone’s fourth of the year was assisted by Blunden and Rupert at 8:44.
The B-Sens had a chance on another power play in the second period, however, it was the Bruins cashing in. Heinen started a shorthanded rush in the neutral zone and moved into the offensive zone in the left circle. Heinen sent a wrist shot over the shoulder of Driedger for a 3-1 lead on his second goal of the game and seventh of the year. The unassisted tally came at 13:33 of the middle period.
Providence took a 4-1 lead late in the second. Mueller factored into another goal as he sent a cross-ice pass from the left wall to the right side for an awaiting Simpson. After receiving the pass, Simpson fired a shot from the bottom of the right circle that beat Driedger for his sixth of the year with 1:56 left in the period. Despite outshooting the Bruins, 24-17, the B-Sens trailed 4-1 heading into the third.
In the third period, Jake DeBrusk fed a pass to Mueller who scored his second goal of the game and sixth of the year for a 5-1 lead at the 6:58 mark with assists from DeBrusk and Heinen.
Providence tacked on another shorthanded goal at 17:17 of the third period courtesy of Sean Kuraly who beat Driedger on a breakaway. Chris Casto picked up the only assist on Kuraly’s first goal of the season.
With 42 seconds left in the game, Rumble scored his first AHL goal and the B-Sens trailed 6-2 with assists from Chris Carlisle and Francis Perron. That held up as the final as Driedger stopped 19 in the loss.
The Senators are back on the road tomorrow in Bridgeport at 7:00 p.m. Fans can tune in on U.S. Country 96.9 FM, 680 AM, iHeartRadio’s website and mobile app, and AHL Live.
