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With two games to play, No. 9 Arizona State (22-9-3) is on the brink of returning to the postseason.
The Sun Devils have a good opportunity to get in as it is, but in order to be a lock, they will likely need at least one win this weekend in Madison as they are taking on Wisconsin (11-18-1) out of the Big 10.
Despite being under .500 overall, the Badgers boast two of the top talents in the entire nation, and it’s more than likely they will be on an NHL playing surface in the near future.
With another road test at hand, here is more to know about this weekend’s series:
What Time/Where to Watch
Both games drop the puck at 6 p.m. local time, and they can be viewed on Big Ten Network plus with a subscription. If you don’t have a subscription, you can also listen to the games online with 1310 WIBA in Madison.
Players to Watch
There are 12 NHL draft picks on the Badger roster, but there are three names in particular to keep an eye out for.
In last summer’s 2019 NHL Draft, two Wisconsin players were selected in the first round. This season, they are the freshmen combo of Cole Caufield and Alex Turcotte.
Caufield was drafted 15th overall by the Montreal Canadiens, and Turcotte was the fifth overall pick by the Los Angeles Kings.
This season in Madison, Caufield has been as good as advertised, as he leads the group in points and goals with 32 and 18, respectively. Turcotte has 18 points with 12 assists. And on the blue line, sophomore defenseman K’Andre Miller has 16 points. He was the 22nd overall pick by the New York Rangers in 2018.
These players are just a glimpse at some of the talent that the Badgers pose, and it was exemplified in this year’s World Junior Tournament when the trio scored a goal during 3-on-3 overtime for Team USA.
.@Turcotte__71 sets up Cole Caufield's one-time blast to give Team USA a 4-3 OT win over the Czech Republic #GoKingsGo pic.twitter.com/WKtP5MvTQx
— LA Kings (@LAKings) December 30, 2019
Between The Pipes
In net, sophomore goaltender Daniel Lebedoff has logged the most minutes for the Badgers. He is 9-14 with a 3.48 goals against average and a .894 save percentage.
Behind him has been senior Jack Berry, who has played 11 games and holds a 3.50 goals against average.
Series History
The only other meeting between these two schools occurred in 2015 when the Sun Devils dropped two games at Wisconsin.