No. 11 Minnesota (7-5-2 overall, 1-1-0-0 B1G) vs. Michigan State (4-6-1 overall, 0-0-0-0 B1G)
Date: Friday, Dec. 9, 2016
Location: Munn Ice Arena | East Lansing, Mich.
Puck Drop: 5:33 p.m. CT
TV: Big Ten Network
Stream: BTN2Go
Radio: 1500 ESPN, Gopher Radio Network
Date: Saturday, Dec. 10, 2016
Location: Munn Ice Arena | East Lansing, Mich.
Puck Drop: 7:03 p.m. CT
TV: Big Ten Network
Stream: BTN2Go
Radio: 1500 ESPN, Gopher Radio Network
INSIDE THE MATCHUP
Last year, the Gophers went 3-1 against the Spartans, but split both games in East Lansing. Minnesota won 4-2 in the opener of that series, but were blanked 5-0 in the finale.
MSU forward Villiam Haag has been a killer against Minnesota. The Swedish senior has six goals and nine points in his 12 career games against the Gophers.
Michigan State’s leading scorer, Mason Appleton, is off to a hot start this season. The sophomore has potted five goals and 11 points in 11 games on the year.
Neither team has looked strong in the early going. Michigan State is giving up 3.55 goals per game while Minnesota is at 3.21. Those rank a shaky 52nd and 41st in the nation, respectively.
The Spartans will look to play a clean game and say out of the box. Their dismal PK unit (73%) will want nothing to do with a Gophers squad converting on nearly 23% of their power-play chances.
The two teams have one common opponent this season, the UND Fighting Whioux. Like the Gophers, MSU picked up a win and a tie.
STORYLINE CENTRAL
Omari Sankofa II of the Lansing State Journal previews the series between the Spartans and Gophers. Sankofa notes how MSU is down two defensemen, posing a big test against the talented offensive attack of the Maroon and Gold.
The Gophers will also be without a defenseman as Ryan Lindgren is suspended for Friday after an incident against Ohio State. SBNation College Hockey’s Nate Wells has the latest on the suspension.
It’s been and up-and-down start for Minnesota the year. The Minnesota Daily’s Drew Cove takes a look at the Gophers’ inconsistency, especially in net.
QUOTES
Justin Kloos
On if it’s hard to get over the 8-3 loss:
“Obviously you come to the rink Monday pissed off and ready to battle. It’s been really high energy, really competitive practices. We took as much as we could, positively, from it but we also have some pretty informal video sessions where guys had to see what we looked like out there, that night. We have to not let that happen ever again.”
On Michigan State:
“They’ve been playing really well as of late. They went into North Dakota and got a win and a split at Ralph a couple weeks ago so they’re a good team. I think they had a slow start. They’re a little bit of a younger team. They’re going to play hard. It’s hard to win two games in that barn. We’ve split the last three times since I’ve been here. It’s going to be a challenge to get two wins there but we have to go there with that one goal.”