Penn State at Wisconsin
Drew: Our editor, Todd Milewski, wrote a great piece for The Capital Times this week about the state of Wisconsin Hockey. It’s a great read that touches on just how bad things have gotten in Madison. This year is not going to end mercifully for the Badgers. They play two nationally-ranked teams that dealt them four consecutive losses in January.
Other than the fact that they want to be playing well going into the playoffs, the Nittany Lions don’t have much on the line for the final weekends. Penn State is six points behind second-place Michigan but PSU has a 10-point cushion on fourth-place Ohio State. Two convincing victories this weekend against Wisconsin, a team Penn State will probably meet in the first round of the Big Ten Tournament, could help its confidence going into the match up. I’d like to pick a Wisconsin victory for those home fans that actually are still showing up, but I think Penn State wins a close game and a blowout.
Paula: I respectfully disagree with Drew that the Nittany Lions have little at stake this weekend or next. Like Minnesota, Penn State needs to beat teams that are not under consideration to remain viable for the NCAA tournament. No. 14 in the PWR is not a very comfortable spot, and a loss to Wisconsin could hurt the Nittany Lions. Also, Penn State is still trying to catch second-place Michigan, a team that is just six point ahead of PSU. Keeping pace with the Wolverines is vitally important, as a first-round Big Ten tournament bye is on the line. I think the Nittany Lions will be exceptionally driven this weekend — especially since they end the season in Ann Arbor next weekend.
The trick for PSU, of course, is not to look past the Badgers to the Wolverines. The Nittany Lions had a bye last weekend, having last played Feb. 19-20, a split against the Buckeyes in which they won the opener 6-1 before losing their final home game of the season 7-4. That loss, no doubt, will be another thing that fuels Penn State this weekend. The Nittany Lions beat the Badgers at home Jan. 15-16, but the first game took overtime. Both games Friday and Saturday begin at 7:00 p.m., and Saturday’s contest is carried by the American Sports Network.
Drew’s picks: Penn State 3-2, 6-1.
Paula’s picks: Penn State 5-1, 5-2.
Source: USCHO.com Blogs :: Big Ten Blog :: U.S. College Hockey Online