BTN Hockey Report previews Michigan-Minnesota, PSU-MSU

After this past weekend's Big Ten showdown the top conference contenders are becoming more clear. Michigan scored a revenge win over Michigan State to send the Wolverines into the top spot. Meanwhile, Penn State's comeback kids finds themselves second in the Big Ten ahead of Minnesota.

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FRIDAY, FEB. 6

• PENN STATE def. WISCONSIN, 5-2
• MINNESOTA def. OHIO STATE, 4-2

SATURDAY, FEB 7

• PENN STATE def. WISCONSIN, 4-1
• No. 12 MICHIGAN def. MICHIGAN STATE, 4-1
• MINNESOTA def. OHIO STATE, 6-2

This Friday it's Wisconsin vs. Ohio State on BTN/BTN2Go at 6:30 p.m. ET followed by Michigan vs. Minnesota at 9 p.m. At 6 p.m. ET Saturday, watch Penn State vs. Michigan State.

Use the BTN2Go schedule here to see what's available BTN & BTN2Go.

Here?s a preview of the matchups:

No. 12 MICHIGAN AT MINNESOTA

When: Friday, Feb. 13 9 p.m. ET; Saturday, Feb. 14 8 p.m. ET
How to watch: Friday?s game airs live on BTN and Saturday?s game airs live on Fox Sports Detroit plus and BTN2GO
Players to watch: Michigan?s offense includes the Hobey Baker candidate Zach Hyman with his 16 goals and 37 points on the season. Minnesota?s Travis Boyd has stepped up big time in the absence of Connor Reilly, the senior completed the home series against OSU with his first career hat trick on Saturday night.
The latest on the Wolverines: Michigan jumped to No. 12 in the USCHO.com poll this week after taking down the Spartans in the Hockey Classic last weekend. They also secured the No. 1 spot in the Big Ten rankings this week with 24 points.
The latest on the Gophers: Minnesota tabs in at No. 3 in the Big Ten rankings with 18 points in the conference after a sweep over Ohio State last weekend. Although unranked in the USCHO.com poll, the Gophers rank No. 13 in the PairWise, meaning their NCAA tournament hopes are still alive.

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No. 19 PENN STATE VS MICHIGAN STATE
When: Friday, Feb. 6 9:12 p.m. ET; Saturday, Feb. 7 8:05 p.m. ET
How to watch: Friday?s game will air live on BTN2GO and Saturday?s game will air live on BTN
Players to watch: Michigan State?s captain Michael Ferrantino is the leading goal-scorer for the Spartans with 9 goals and is second on the team with 15 points. For Penn State, it?s Casey Bailey who leads the team in both points and goals with 33 and 19 respectively.
The latest on the Spartans: The Spartans chime into the Big Ten rankings at No. 4 with 16 points in the conference. Although unranked on a National scale a win against Michigan two weekends ago is a sign of continuous improvement of this MSU team.
The latest on the Nittany Lions: Penn State jumped back into the USCHO.com rankings at No. 19 and is tied for no. 20 in the pairwise after their a sweep against the Badgers last weekend. This sweep completed the four-game season sweep of the Badgers, which marked the first season sweep in program history. The Nittany Lions rank second in the Big Ten rankings and follow close behind Michigan with 22 points.
In summary: A win for MSU could mean hopping a spot in the Big Ten, but a sweep for Penn State would propel the Nittany Lions one step closer to the league lead. Who would have thought Penn State would be here at the beginning of this season?