The Gophers were well-aware of what was at stake this weekend at Mariucci Arena. A pair of wins against No. 12-ranked Michigan and its nation-best offense would not only do a lot for their confidence, but could equate to a first-place standing in the Big Ten race.
A four-game unbeaten streak put the Gophers six points behind first-place Michigan entering the series and Friday night's 6-2 victory cut that deficit to three -- the value of one win in conference play. Michigan State helped the Gophers' rise in the standings by upsetting second-place Penn State on Friday.
"We want to win the Big Ten title and we gotta go through Michigan," Gophers senior captain Kyle Rau said on Friday night. "So we're still not where we want to be. We gotta beat them again [Saturday]."
Michigan (8-3-0, 24 points) is holding a two-point edge of Penn State (7-3-1, 22 points) in the Big Ten standings, and the Gophers (6-2-3, 21 points) are in a close third with Michigan State (5-4-2, 19 points) not far behind.
If the Gophers win Saturday night and Michigan State wins or ties against Penn State, the Gophers will find themselves tied for first place with four regular-season series remaining, including four games against Penn State. The Gophers are the defending Big Ten regular-season champion, but have been as low as fifth in the standings this season.
"We have a chance and we wouldn't have had a chance if we didn't win Friday," Gophers coach Don Lucia said. "We have an opportunity to put ourselves back in it with a win [Saturday]."
The Gophers listed 19 skaters on the pregame lineup with Jack Glover as the extra defenseman. Senior forward Christian Isackson was injured in the first period on Friday and didn't return to the game because of a lower-body injury.
If Isackson plays Saturday, he'll be bumped from his usual center position to right wing on the fourth line. A.J. Michaelson will assume the center role, and I wouldn't be surprised if Isackson was scratched for Glover after pregame warmups.
