GOPHERS MEN’S HOCKEY SERIES PREVIEW
Friday (5 p.m.), Saturday (3 p.m.) at Michigan State’s Munn Ice Arena
TV: None Friday, BTN on Saturday; Stream: B1G-Plus on Friday; Radio: 103.5-FM both days
Randy Johnson’s preview:
Opening bell: The Gophers (14-6-4, 7-4-3 Big Ten) swept Ohio State last week and gained three points in the Big Ten standings on first-place Michigan State (16-5-3, 10-2-2), which split a series against Michigan. Minnesota, the two-time defending Big Ten regular-season champion, is in fourth place in the conference standings with 23 points, 11 behind the first-place Spartans. This series begins a two-week road stretch that finishes with second-place Wisconsin, so what the Gophers accomplish over the next four games will go a long way toward determining where they finish in the standings. Minnesota took four of six points against Michigan State in November, getting a tie in the opener (MSU got the shootout point) and winning 6-5 in overtime in the finale.
Watch him: Gophers junior forward Rhett Pitlick is on a heater, collecting five points in the sweep of Ohio State with a hat trick and an assist in the opener and a goal in the finale. Pitlick, a Montreal Canadiens fifth-round draft pick, was named Big Ten second star of the week and has six goals and three assists in his past five games.
Forecast: Michigan State, which finished sixth in the conference last year, has been the surprise of the Big Ten, along with Wisconsin. Under coach Adam Nightingale, the Spartans hit the transfer portal to add five players, including Northern Michigan’s Joey Larson (15 goals, 13 assists, 28 points), Miami’s Red Savage (8-16-24) and Minnesota Duluth’s Isaac Howard (6-15-21). In addition, freshman Artyom Levshunov of Belarus and senior Nicolas Müller of Switzerland have 26 and 24 points, respectively. Backing it up is freshman goalie Trey Augustine (14-4-2, 3.12 GAA, .912 save percentage), who led Team USA to World Juniors gold. … If the Gophers can avoid the slow starts that plagued them earlier this season, they can continue to chip away at the Spartans’ lead in the Big Ten standings.
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