Senior defenseman leads DU in points heading into a huge NCHC showdown against No. 1 Minnesota-Duluth this weekend. Photo courtesy of DU Athletics

No. 1 Minnesota-Duluth (10-2-2, 7-1-0 NCHC) at No. 2 Denver (11-2-3, 5-0-3-2 NCHC)

When: Friday and Saturday at 7 p.m., Magness Arena

Listen/Watch: Both games on 104.3 FM; American Sports Network (ASN) is telecasting Friday’s game. Saturday’s is on PioneerVision and NCHC.TV (subscription)

Last week: The Pioneers retained the Gold Pan, sweeping Colorado College by identical 3-1 scores; the Bulldogs have had two weekends off in a row since sweeping UNO at Omaha on Nov. 18-19.

Last season: DU went 3-0-1 vs. Duluth, sweeping the games at Magness Arena. Two of Denver’s three wins were by a goal, while the first one in Duluth was a 3-0 shutout by Evan Cowley.

Overview: This is THE college hockey series of the season so far, and it might prove to be the best one when it’s all said and done. It’s the first No. 1 vs. No. 2 at Magness Arena in 14 years. Fourteen is significant for another reason in this game because that’s how long DU’s unbeaten streak is. The Bulldogs, meanwhile, have won three in a row and seven of their past eight. Both teams are fast and skilled, and their strengths will be on display – UMD has a high-powered offense, while DU has one of the nation’s top defenses, spearheaded by junior goalie Tanner Jaillet. The health of freshman center Henrik Borgstrom is something to watch for Denver. It is unknown if he will be well enough to play this weekend.

Offense

The Pioneers’s offense is decent, averaging 2.81 goals per game (33rd among 60 Division I teams), but the Bulldogs have one of the best offenses in Division I, scoring 3.71 goals per game (6th). …

Senior wingers Alex Iafallo and Kyle Osterberg and sophomore Adam Johnson have done most of the scoring damage so far for UMP. Iafallo leads the Bulldogs with 19 points and nine goals. Osterberg has eight goals (14 points) and Johnson has seven (13 points). Freshman forward Joey Anderson has 15 points, and defensemen Carson Soucy (12 points) and Neal Pionk (11 points) lead a talented blue line group. …

Defenseman Will Butcher leads the Pioneers with 17 points and seems to have found another gear on a consistent basis this season. If he isn’t the best defenseman in college hockey right now he’s in the conversation. Borgstrom has 16 points and is tied for the team lead in goals with Troy Terry at eight. Terry and fellow sophomore Dylan Gambrell have 14 points, and both have played very well of late. First-line wing Jarid Lukosevicius has rediscovered his scoring touch, at least on Fridays, when he has a goal in each of the past two weekends. After starting off a bit top-heavy in their offense, the Pioneers are finding more balance week to week from players like Matt Marcinew, Evan Janssen, Logan O’Connor and freshman defenseman Michael Davies. They will need every bit of it this weekend.

Defense

The Pioneers allow fewer than two goals per game (1.94, fourth in D-I). The backbone of their defense has been Jaillet, who is 10-1-3 with a 1.91 goals-against average (6th nationally) and .923 save percentage. Cowley played well in his start vs. CC last weekend. Marcinew has the most face-off wins in the NCHC (203) and defenseman Adam Plant is third in the league in blocked shots (36). …

Kasimir Kaskisuo‘s early departure to sign a pro contract after his sophomore season could have left the Bulldogs in a bind, but freshman Hunter Miska has been excellent, going 9-1 with a 2.36 gas and .914 save percentage. Sophomore Nick Deery has started three games and is 1-0-2 with a 1.54 and .934 numbers. It adds up to Duluth being one of the nation’s better defensive teams as well, allowing just 2.29 goals per game (10th).

Special teams

The most dominant unit in this category is UMD’s power play, which hits at 21.1 percent (13th). The Bulldogs average just over one PPG per game. DU counters with a penalty kill that is effective 83.8 percent of the time (T29th). You can bet special teams received quite a bit of attention in practice this week. Pionk leads the Bulldogs with three PPGs, while Iafallo, Osterberg, Johnson and defenseman Willie Raskob each has two. The Pioneers’ power play has been improving over the past month, due in large part to Butcher’s play, Gambrell’s return and Lukosevicius’ scoring touch warming up. Borgstrom also is a threat on the PP and has half of his goals there. DU converts 17.5 percent of the time (T29). If Duluth has struggled anywhere, it’s on the penalty kill, where its 79.2 percent success rate is in the bottom quarter of the country (47th).