Puck Preview: Ohio State Part 2

THE ESSENTIALS

[@ right: Bill Rapai]

THE THEM

This has been a miserable year for Ohio State even by their low standards. A big chunk of this misery is because they're having the same sort of year Michigan basketball is: injury-devastated. When Michigan played the Buckeyes in the 10-6 WTF game in January OSU could not even field a full 18 skaters, instead rolling out 7 D and 10 F. At points this season OSU has been wildly undermanned. This was the damage report as of mid-January:

There has been one injury after another for the Buckeyes, with two forwards — junior Tyler Lundey and senior Darik Angeli — being placed on the injury list on Jan. 2. Senior forward Chad Niddery came next on the injury list when he was added during the Penn State series last weekend. The bad news continued for the Buckeyes as freshman forward Luke Stork and freshman defenseman Janik Möser have been labeled as “day-to-day” and are not skating.

But that's not the whole of OSU's problems. They got a number of players back over the last couple weeks; this did not prevent them from handing a dire Wisconsin team their first Big Ten win (and just their third of the year). More alarmingly, the Corsi-deficient Badgers were nearly on par in shots, 28-30. Meanwhile, the previous night's game is OSU's only win since a 5-4 OT game at Penn State on January 9th.

This is not a talented team, and it's not a particularly young one. There a ton of seniors on the top lines, they're just not any good. It'll be interesting to watch OSU over the next few years as the autonomy process gives them an advantage over teams that have historically gotten better recruits because they care about hockey—they are poised to be one of the prime beneficiaries. If they're not, they'll be looking for yet another new head coach.

Anyway. With Michigan hanging on the wrong side of the tournament bubble, a sweep is imperative.

THE GENTLEMEN OF NOTE

1. F Anthony Greco and F Tanner Fritz. These guys are pretty much the same player: little quick puck wizards with a lot of skill. Greco is by far the team's leading scorer with 14 goals, but he's got just three assists. Fritz has a 6-9-15 line, which counts as good on the goal-starved Buckeyes… but he is also –17 on the year.
2. D Sam Jardine. OSU's lone drafted skater, Jardine is in the slick puck-moving mold.

THE GOALIE

[Rapai]

OSU has split time almost down the middle with sophomores Christian Frey and Matt Tomkins, both of whom Michigan has chased. In fact, OSU's third goalie has seen time in just two games, both of them Michigan goal romps.

No matter who's in net, the numbers are grim. Frey is at .909 save percentage, Tomkins .870.

THE SPECIAL TEAMS

OSU is horrible in both departments, converting at just a 14% rate and allowing opponents to score twice as often.

THE LAST TIME

As mentioned, the last time these teams met Michigan blazed to a ten-goal game whilst allowing a whopping six to an OSU team that can't score in a warehouse full of exacto knives. In the long-long ago, these two teams played a similar but slightly less bonkers version of that a game, an 8-3 facecrushing at Yost.

THE STAKES

Michigan needs a sweep here after having lost three of their last four. That skid saw them dumped out of the at-large spots in the pairwise, and with the Big Ten's two worst teams coming up the next two weekends, 4-0 is probably just enough to put them back in, shakily. These are must win games.

OSU just wants this season over with a minimal amount of NOT IN THE FACE.

THE PREDICTION

Sweep or die.