PROVIDENCE -- Giving up three goals and being pulled from the game before the season is 13 minutes old is a rough way to start, but that’s the way it went for Zane McIntyre of the Providence Bruins in the opener in Hartford in October.

The struggles – both for McIntyre and his team -- didn’t end there. A couple of months into the season, McIntyre’s save percentage was hovering around .850, miles below his career average. The youthful P-Bruins – [...]

PROVIDENCE -- Giving up three goals and being pulled from the game before the season is 13 minutes old is a rough way to start, but that’s the way it went for Zane McIntyre of the Providence Bruins in the opener in Hartford in October.

The struggles – both for McIntyre and his team -- didn’t end there. A couple of months into the season, McIntyre’s save percentage was hovering around .850, miles below his career average. The youthful P-Bruins – decimated by injuries and NHL callups -- were floundering.

But those days are long gone now.

McIntyre has won his last 11 starts and Providence is in the thick of the playoff hunt after a torrid stretch that has carried them from 28th in the AHL to 11th. The team’s turnaround, with McIntyre front and center, has saved a season that was in danger of plunging off a cliff.

Coach Jay Leach credits McIntyre -- a second team AHL All-Star in 2016-17 -- for hanging in through the hard times.

“He obviously struggled early and he’s been able to come out of it. No one works harder than Zane. His work ethic has always been there, whether he’s making a million saves or having a tough time. Usually when that’s the case, the cream rises to the top. I’m happy for him,’’ he said.

Because of the subpar start, it’s been an uphill climb for McIntyre to improve his save percentage, which is now .897, 33nd in the AHL. “The first 10 games put me in a hole,’’ he said.

More important than save percentage, he is tied for second in the league in wins with a record of 19-8-1. 

“You just worry about the win column and the (other) numbers will take care of themselves,’’ said McIntyre, 26, who won the Mike Richter Award as the NCAA’s top goalie in 2014-15. Drafted in the sixth round in 2010, he signed with Boston after his junior year at North Dakota.

“We had our growing pains with the team, but you have to step up and do your job, maybe take the reins sometimes, too. I think I underachieved at that (early in the season). I’m trying to assert myself and take the lead,’’ McIntyre said, now in his fourth season in the AHL.

He has done just that lately, coming through with timely saves that can be the difference between winning and losing.

Providence’s recent success has been “a group effort,’’ McIntyre said. “ A lot of guys have matured in just their little time here. Guys who went up top, too, with all (Boston’s) injuries. That obviously helped, getting their feet in the water a little bit. With every experience, you gain some knowledge.’’

The NHL-mandated reduction in the size of chest protecters for goalies this season played a part in McIntyre’s early struggles.

“But I’m not going to use that as a crutch. It’s my game. Each chest protector is different. I’ve tried them all. It’s just getting your hands on one that feels comfortable and feels right,’’ said McIntyre, who settled on a model made by Vaughn.

“You just adapt. That’s what goalies have done over the last 20-30 years. They’re like chameleons.’’

Bruins goalie development coach Mike Dunham, a veteran of nearly 400 NHL games, is on the ice with the P-Bruins two to three times a week.

“It’s just getting the bounces a little bit. Zane’s been sticking with what he’s been doing over the last few years and all of a sudden pucks are hitting him and he’s making the saves he needs to make. He’s seeing pucks well,’’ Dunham said.

“The biggest thing is his work ethic never changed. All athletes go through ups and downs. Credit to Zane. His work ethic continued to be as strong as it’s always been. He kept focus on day to day stuff and all of a sudden he’s where he wants to be.’’

Obviously, the NHL is where McIntyre ultimately wants to be.

His chance, if and when it comes, most likely will be someplace other than Boston, which has Tuukka Rask locked up through 2021 and Jaroslav Halak until 2020.

McIntyre has watched as Providence teammates Malcolm Subban (Vegas) and Jordan Binnington (St. Louis) moved up the last couple of seasons.

“They were prepared and when they got the call or when things happened, they made the most of it. It’s a progression of one season, two seasons, four seasons. You can draw on each experience and gain on each experience and be ready for that opportunity. They’ve done a good job of that, Binner and Subby,'' he said.

“I’m just chomping at the bit. Slowly growing my game and getting ready for my opportunity. That’s all I can do right now. When it happens, maximize that opportunity. ‘’