Penn State at Ohio State

Drew: Ohio State will be down two forwards for Friday’s contest because of suspensions at the end of last Sunday’s game against Michigan. Not having those two available isn’t ideal for Steve Rohlik, but I don’t think it will affect the series too much. While we might not get as many of the post-whistle shenanigans, I expect this series to be a high-scoring one, just like last weekend’s Michigan-Ohio State’s games. If Penn State can keep the goal totals low, the Nittany Lions will leave Columbus with the majority of the conference points. If Ohio State can continue scoring like it has been since returning from Florida, it can find some success. I’m thinking split.

Paula: Last weekend, the Nittany Lions swept the visiting Badgers, outscoring Wisconsin 8-4 but needing overtime to win Friday’s 4-3 contest. Meanwhile in a home-and-home series, the Buckeyes scored 11 goals against the Wolverines — enough to at least win one, conventional wisdom would say — but came away with two points in a 5-5 tie at home with the subsequent shootout point plus an 8-6 road loss. Freshman forwards Dakota Joshua and Brendon Kearney were the two Buckeyes given DQs at the end of the 8-6 game; each has a goal this season. OSU is 7-3-0 versus PSU all-time, including a record of 4-1-0 in 2014-15. I am going against conventional wisdom with my picks, based on what I saw of Ohio State last weekend. Games are Friday and Saturday at 7:00 p.m. and neither is televised.

Drew’s picks: Penn State 3-2, Ohio State 6-4.
Paula’s picks: Ohio State 4-3, 5-4.

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