No. 6 Wisconsin vs. No. 3 Penn State

Drew: Penn State has lost three in a row to close out the regular season, and one of those defeats came against the Badgers. Will that happen again on Thursday? Probably not. With the season on the line for both teams, I think the Nittany Lions will be able to conjure up a better performance and mercifully end Wisconsin’s second consecutive nightmare season.

Paula: Every one of the four teams playing in the quarterfinals can advance to the semifinals. Of the four, however, Wisconsin is the team least likely to be able to sustain the level of play necessary to reach the title game. Last weekend, the Badgers split on the road against Minnesota, and Wisconsin is 2-6-2 in its last 10 games. Penn State dropped two on the road to Michigan to end the regular season last weekend, outscored 13-2 in two games; the Nittany Lions are 4-5-1 in their last 10 games. My favorite note of the weekend so far: Wisconsin is undefeated in its last eight games in the Xcel Energy Center. Those are odds I don’t want to chance the first night.

Drew’s pick: Penn State 4-2.
Paula’s pick: Wisconsin 4-3.

Source: USCHO.com Blogs :: Big Ten Blog :: U.S. College Hockey Online