Defensemen at Wisconsin change -- the Badgers lost three of them to early departures -- but one thing hasn't. The top ones can shoot and score.

Sophomore defenseman Justin Schultz leads the Badgers in scoring with 15 goals and 26 assists for 41 points, which makes him the top scoring blue liner in the nation. Junior Jake Gardiner, a defenseman from Minnetonka, is not far behind. He has eight goals and 24 assists for 32 points, fourth on the team. They are partners on the Badgers' first defensive pair.

"We just have to be aware when their top set is out," Gophers coach Don Lucia said. "Their bottom four don't have a five-on-five goal this year in the league. Schultz and Gardiner are elite defensemen and we know they are going to jump up into the rush.

"We are going to have to make sure our forwards are aware when those two are on the ice. And they are probably going to play 30 minutes. You have to defend all five guys in our zone when they are out there. And understand they are going to jump into the play as well."

Schultz is a plus-15, Gardiner a plus-21. Only freshman forward Mike Mersch, at plus-21, is better.

Gardiner is second on the team in shots with 114, Schultz is third with 83.

The Gophers are 2-2-2 in their last three visits to the Kohl Center, which is a noisy, packed arena for the Gophers. "Usually we have done pretty well there over the years," Lucia said. "You go around our league and almost every rink has that same type of [exciting] environment and that is what makes the league fun to play [in]."

BUDISH ON PACE

Sophomore forward Zach Budish, who had season-ending knee surgery after seven games, is doing well.

"He will probably start skating in another month," Lucia said. :"The survery went well and his rehabilitation is right on schedule. He should be back and 100 percent next fall.

"[Doctors] have pretty much perfected those [knee] surgeries and he came back fine from the last one," Lucia said, referring to Budish's surgery on his other knee as a high school senior at Edina. "The hard part is he has missed two out of three years of hockey. So it will take a while [for him] to catch up again, but there is no question he will."