The weekend of Big Ten play provided a few surprises. All three series were close, and I think Michigan State and Wisconsin surprised with their play. Michigan defeated Wisconsin and then tied the Badgers while Penn State defeated Michigan State on Friday before skating to a 2-2 tie. The Gophers swept Ohio State again by a pair of one-goal games, including an overtime decision on Friday.

Minnesota holds the first spot in the Big Ten, one point ahead of Michigan. Penn State is six points behind the Wolverines while Ohio State still has 12 points. The Spartans are in fifth with 10 points and Wisconsin is still in the basement with seven. And I know I only talk about wins, losses and ties, but shootouts do factor into the Big Ten standings.

The PairWise was shaken up over the weekend, with some of college hockey’s best teams failing to win. Michigan is at sixth right now, Penn State is 14th and Minnesota is 16th.

It’s kind of hard to say if the Big Ten’s bottom teams are better than we thought they were/if they’re improving or if the Big Ten’s top teams aren’t as powerful as we thought they were.

(After the jump: What’s up with Wisconsin, the battle for first, Michigan State’s the dangerous team)

What’s up with Wisconsin

I didn’t pick Wisconsin to win a game in its series against Michigan because several weeks ago I thought they would play really well against Minnesota. And… They didn’t. So I wasn’t sure if the Badgers were really improving. But I caught the end of the game Saturday and was impressed with Wisconsin’s ability to tie it late.

I’m also impressed the Badgers kept the Wolverines to four goals each game, but Matt Jurusik isn’t a bad goalie. I do think Wisconsin was playing better, which is expected, and at this point I think it’s fair to say the Badgers aren’t as bad as their record. But why can’t they play that way consistently?

The battle for first 

Michigan and Minnesota are almost deadlocked for first place in the conference, which will make for an interesting race in the last month of the season. As I mentioned above, the Wolverines are in a much better spot in the PairWise. Who knows how much the PairWise will change by the end of March, so the tournament might be must-win for both teams.

Let’s ignore the tournament for a moment, because in the one-and-done format anything can happen. So for now, let’s focus on the battle for the top of regular-season play. There’s one more series between the teams, and the two already played to a split. So which team has the advantage now?

The Wolverines have a blistering offense, but it’s been stopped at times. Michigan has its own defensive woes too. I view the Gophers as a slightly more complete team with the goaltending advantage, but Minnesota has also been inconsistent.

Michigan State could be a dangerous team

The Spartans, who struggled a lot this year, have been playing better in conference lately. They defeated Michigan in overtime last weekend and then tied with Penn State this weekend. Michigan State is still a little inconsistent, but it hasn’t been swept in a Big Ten weekend since mid-January against Minnesota. They’ve been allowing less goals and have given up more than two goals just twice in the last six games.

Last year I thought pretty highly of the Spartans (who actually fought for first place in the conference) because of their defense and goaltending. Earlier in the season it was pretty clear that wasn’t a strength anymore, and the team looked very unorganized in its own zone. But that’s gotten better in conference play, and if the Spartans can still play well defensively, I think they have a chance to win some games in the tournament.

Monday, February 15th, 2016 - 3:14 pm | Big Ten, Blogs, Notes, Thoughts, Ramblings