Minnesota hosts Michigan State: 1/15 & 1/16

[Driftryder]

Minnesota takes on Michigan State this Friday and Saturday night at Mariucci Arena. Friday night puck drop is at 8PM and is televised on FSN Plus, it's streamed on BTN2Go\FoxGo. Saturday night puck drop is at 7:30PM, televised on BTN and streamed on BTN2Go.

Minnesota split this past weekend at Penn State, losing 3-2 in OT Friday then winning 7-1 Saturday afternoon. Michigan State was swept in a home and home series with Michigan, 9-2 and 6-3.


Go

 

[gopher wes]

Re: Minnesota hosts Michigan State: 1/15 & 1/16

This should be a Gopher sweep at home against a Michigan St team that is, by all accounts, pretty bad.

That said, it took the Gophers two overtime games to sweep a tOSU team with a pretty similar overall record to Michigan St earlier in the year and that was also at home. I expect two close games.

 

[Tiggsy]

Re: Minnesota hosts Michigan State: 1/15 & 1/16

Split on the road, sweep at home. Makes perfect sense so far.

 

[Spartanforlife4]

Re: Minnesota hosts Michigan State: 1/15 & 1/16

You are welcome in advance for the six points, and we all thank you for your contribution in our quest for a new coaching staff.

 

[gomsuman]

Re: Minnesota hosts Michigan State: 1/15 & 1/16

You are welcome in advance for the six points, and we all thank you for your contribution in our quest for a new coaching staff.

This^^

Honestly the only thing MSU fans can hope for now is that MSU starts losing every game 9-2 and that forces our AD to make a change.

 

[D2D]

Re: Minnesota hosts Michigan State: 1/15 & 1/16

You are welcome in advance for the six points, and we all thank you for your contribution in our quest for a new coaching staff.

Well if you haven't heard the Gophers are down quite a bit this year also. I just hope that the results this weekend isn't what ends up saving them their jobs. Yes the Gophers have been playing better as of late, but given their relative youth and inexperience they have the capability of morphing into a different team right on the heels of a 7-1 win.

 

[5mn_Major]

Re: Minnesota hosts Michigan State: 1/15 & 1/16

This should be a Gopher sweep at home against a Michigan St team that is, by all accounts, pretty bad.

That said, it took the Gophers two overtime games to sweep a tOSU team with a pretty similar overall record to Michigan St earlier in the year and that was also at home. I expect two close games.

And I would edit that by saying OSU is much better than advertised...having just beat BC on the road as well as another top 10 team by more than 5 goals. Having said that, it appears MSU is just as advertised. Hopefully, the Gophers aren't worse than advertised.

 

[UMICH]

Re: Minnesota hosts Michigan State: 1/15 & 1/16

This^^

Honestly the only thing MSU fans can hope for now is that MSU starts losing every game 9-2 and that forces our AD to make a change.

We did our part....

 

[SJHovey]

Well if you haven't heard the Gophers are down quite a bit this year also. I just hope that the results this weekend isn't what ends up saving them their jobs. Yes the Gophers have been playing better as of late, but given their relative youth and inexperience they have the capability of morphing into a different team right on the heels of a 7-1 win.

Chris Dilks is picking MN to win the B1G regular season and make the NCAAs

 

[Stauber1]

Re: Minnesota hosts Michigan State: 1/15 & 1/16

Chris Dilks is picking MN to win the B1G regular season and make the NCAAs

Bold.

I think this team could be among the top 14 or 15 in the country by March, but I'm not sure they can make up enough ground to earn an at-large bid. Which means they'll need the conference auto-bid. With the tourney in St. Paul I suppose that gives them a leg up, but even so wresting your fate by the conference tournament is always a bit of a dice roll.

This Gopher team is better than a lot of people are giving them credit for, I'm just not sure they are good enough (or able to improve quickly enough) to dig themselves out of the hole they are in. Especially with so many games against such low RPI teams.

 

[Slap Shot]

Re: Minnesota hosts Michigan State: 1/15 & 1/16

If the Gophers move past their Hekyl and Jekyl tendencies I like their chances, but they've rarely made thins easy this season.

 

[Decatur Spartan]

Re: Minnesota hosts Michigan State: 1/15 & 1/16

We did our part....

And we tthank you for that. Wow........first time I thanked a Wolverine.......strange days.

 

[SteveO]

Re: Minnesota hosts Michigan State: 1/15 & 1/16

You are welcome in advance for the six points, and we all thank you for your contribution in our quest for a new coaching staff.

Given MSU did so well in the Big Ten last season and some of those players returned, the Spartans slump is a surprise to me. I'm curious to know your opinion on what the main issues are with the coaching staff and the team? Thanks.

 

[Spartanforlife4]

Given MSU did so well in the Big Ten last season and some of those players returned, the Spartans slump is a surprise to me. I'm curious to know your opinion on what the main issues are with the coaching staff and the team? Thanks.

In part due to slim defense. So bad we had to have try outs from the club team to help fill out the last spot. Lost our best defenseman Jacobs to the OHL when he decided he didn't wanna play school no more (and more just didn't like Anastos).

This was fine in the early part of the year, especially because the offense was performing so well. Then the defense started getting fatigued and it's been downhill. If we try to be conservative to help the defense, we can't score. If we try to play to the strength of the team (offense this year, strange for an Anastos team) we get exposed on D.

Hildy hasn't been as good this year, most likely from fatigue of carrying the team the last two years.

But most of all, I think the team is just sick of the same ol' thing. Things were on an upswing going into the Tech series. We had swept UNH, nearly beat BC on the road putting up 4 on their goalie who had had three or four shutouts in a row or something, and then they blew two two goal 3rd period
leads leading to a tie and OT loss. Followed that up getting trounced by NoDak and PSU and it killed everything.

 

[Stauber1]

Re: Minnesota hosts Michigan State: 1/15 & 1/16

From an outsiders perspective, it seems to me Hildebrand not matching his outstanding play of last year has really killed MSU. When you have a goaltender who you know is going to keep you in games, it makes things so much easier for everyone else.

I'm not saying his play is the problem, just that it seemed to me that his play last year allowed the team to smooth over some problems that aren't being smoothed over this year. When your netminder is playing well and earning you ties and wins it carries over from game to game. When that isn't happening as much, and you start dropping game after game, it gets easier for a coach to lose that "buy-in" from his players. Once it's lost, it's **** hard to get back.


Hopefully they don't make a push to get it back this weekend....kick 'em while they're down

 

[D2D]

Re: Minnesota hosts Michigan State: 1/15 & 1/16

Hopefully they don't make a push to get it back this weekend....kick 'em while they're down

Thinking the same...was hoping the timing's right and we're catching them when things are trending up for us and down for them.

 

[SteveO]

Re: Minnesota hosts Michigan State: 1/15 & 1/16

In part due to slim defense. So bad we had to have try outs from the club team to help fill out the last spot. Lost our best defenseman Jacobs to the OHL when he decided he didn't wanna play school no more (and more just didn't like Anastos).

This was fine in the early part of the year, especially because the offense was performing so well. Then the defense started getting fatigued and it's been downhill. If we try to be conservative to help the defense, we can't score. If we try to play to the strength of the team (offense this year, strange for an Anastos team) we get exposed on D.

Hildy hasn't been as good this year, most likely from fatigue of carrying the team the last two years.

But most of all, I think the team is just sick of the same ol' thing. Things were on an upswing going into the Tech series. We had swept UNH, nearly beat BC on the road putting up 4 on their goalie who had had three or four shutouts in a row or something, and then they blew two two goal 3rd period
leads leading to a tie and OT loss. Followed that up getting trounced by NoDak and PSU and it killed everything.

Hey thanks for that good overview Spartanforlife4. I know in the past Anastos has favored the NZ trap as a D strategy, has he worked it much this season? The trap has been one of the most effective strategies against the Gophers in recent years.

 

[gopher wes]

Re: Minnesota hosts Michigan State: 1/15 & 1/16

Bold.

I think this team could be among the top 14 or 15 in the country by March, but I'm not sure they can make up enough ground to earn an at-large bid. Which means they'll need the conference auto-bid. With the tourney in St. Paul I suppose that gives them a leg up, but even so wresting your fate by the conference tournament is always a bit of a dice roll.

This Gopher team is better than a lot of people are giving them credit for, I'm just not sure they are good enough (or able to improve quickly enough) to dig themselves out of the hole they are in. Especially with so many games against such low RPI teams.

I was thinking along these lines last night as well. I'm absolutely positively not a great PWR mind, but I think this Gopher team's goal should be a first round bye in the B1G Tournament. If that does enough to get you in on PWR, great. If not, you've put yourselves in a spot to win two game on "home ice" and make the tournament for a "home ice" regional.

 

[gopher wes]

Re: Minnesota hosts Michigan State: 1/15 & 1/16

Hildy hasn't been as good this year, most likely from fatigue of carrying the team the last two years.

I'm not gonna lie and say that I've been following MSU scores and stats or anything like that. But being at Mariucci for the Harvard game a couple weekends ago, I was surprised not to see Hildebrand's name on the B1G goalie stat lines they were showing on the jumbotron during intermissions. He was so hyped coming into the year.

I think Hildebrand is my biggest fear with MSU. He always seems to play lights out against the Gophers or at least that's my perception.

 

[5mn_Major]

Re: Minnesota hosts Michigan State: 1/15 & 1/16

I'm not gonna lie and say that I've been following MSU scores and stats or anything like that. But being at Mariucci for the Harvard game a couple weekends ago, I was surprised not to see Hildebrand's name on the B1G goalie stat lines they were showing on the jumbotron during intermissions. He was so hyped coming into the year.

I think Hildebrand is my biggest fear with MSU. He always seems to play lights out against the Gophers or at least that's my perception.

While I see the point about Hildebrand...the Gophs seem to get nailed from breakaway counterattacks (i.e., U MI and Harvard). If MSU is incapable of that, even a strong Hildebrand may not be enough to help.