What to watch when No. 3 Wisconsin hockey resumes Big Ten title chase at No. 14 Michigan

MADISON – During the first half of the Big Ten season the Wisconsin men’s hockey team demonstrated its dominance as well as its poise under pressure.

It won by two goals or more six times in 12 games. Four times it won by one goal. Three times it scored comeback wins.

The result is a 10-2 record that gives the Badgers the highest winning percentage in the league (.833) even though they’re in second place, four points behind Michigan State.

That’s a pretty good start for a team picked to finish fifth out of seven in the conference. The challenge going forward is to maintain that level of play as the Badgers go through the conference for a second time.

“The one thing that we have to understand is the Friday nights when we go into these buildings we’re going to get their A-game,” Wisconsin associate head coach Todd Knott said. “We’re not surprising anybody and we’re going to have to embrace that.”

Third-ranked Wisconsin’s second run through the Big Ten begins Friday and Saturday at No. 14 Michigan (11-8-3, 4-6-2 – 15 points).  The Badgers (19-4-1, 10-2 – 30 points) beat the Wolverines  5-4 on Nov. 3 and 2-1 on Nov. 4 for their first sweep in the rivalry since the 2018-19 season.

Both games begin at 6 p.m. at Yost Arena in Ann Arbor. The contests will be broadcast on BTN+ and can be heard on 97.3 The Game or on the Badgers or The Varsity Network apps.

Here are three things to watch in the series.

What kind of start will UW have on the road?

The Badgers were off last weekend and were given a few days to go home and recharge for the second half of the season.  Michigan, meanwhile, split with Michigan State and could be sharper to start.

Wisconsin might have a renewed focus, however, following its tie with Lindenwood on Jan. 13 that snapped its 10-game winning streak

“We’ve had a lot of ups and downs including the last game that we played,” Knott said. “I’d like to think that we learned from that moment again that you can’t take a night off, and give Lindenwood credit on that. They came out and played a very hard game.”

Whose special teams will be better?

Michigan leads the nation in power play percentage (36.6%). Wisconsin leads the nation in penalty kill (91.7%) and has allowed only two power play goals in the last 13 games.

The Badgers killed all four of their penalties in their sweep of Michigan earlier this season. Michigan’s four power plays tied for the fewest UW has faced in a series this season.

Wisconsin is the second-least penalized team in the Big Ten, a trend that it will need to continue.

“We’ve talked a lot about that and just our discipline and it won’t just be for Michigan,” Knott said. “They’re No. 1 in the country right now. You’ve got Minnesota coming next week. I know Michigan State is a top-six power play in the country right now, so it’s really from here on out and that starts making sure that we stay disciplined.”

Kyle McClellan returns to the net

Senior goaltender Kyle McClellan is expected to return to action after getting the night off in UW’s tie with Lindenwood. In his last outing he recorded his sixth shutout of the season.

His presence is huge.

“He makes the saves that you need that should be goals, but he also calms us down a lot whether it’s stopping a puck on a power play when they’re starting to get momentum,” graduate student David Silye said. “I think it’s little things too that he’s really good at. … That really gives us confidence to be like, ‘OK, reset, get a face-off and get back to it. He really is a calming presence back there, he really is.”