When No. 5 Denver meets No. 8 Minnesota Duluth on Friday in an NCHC semifinal at St. Paul, Minn., in the fifth installment of their season series, it will be a matchup of teams that are virtual mirror images of each other statistically.
Want offense? The Pioneers score 3.3 goals per game, while the Bulldogs get 3.18.
Defense? DU is strong there, too, allowing 2.11 goals per game, same as UMD.
Take a penalty against either team? You’re in trouble. The Bulldogs convert on 24.7 percent of their power plays, while the Pioneers hit on 21.9 percent.
How about goaltending? Well, both Tanner Jaillet (19-8-7, 1.90 GAA) and Hunter Shepard (21-12-1, 1.92 GAA) are semifinalists for the Mike Richter Award.
That’s how close this matchup is. In my opinion, Denver’s series against Duluth at the start of February was the best one I saw at Magness Arena this season, and Duluth was the toughest opponent I saw.
Even though DU has an 8-1-1 record vs. the Bulldogs in the past 10 meetings, all but two (Duluth’s lone win, a 3-1 verdict last December and a 1-1 tie in the fall of 2015) have been decided by one goal.
Here is a closer look at the four meetings this season thanks to Magness Mayhem’s time machine.
Dec. 1, Denver wins 1-0 (at Duluth)
It was a rare game in which then No. 1 DU was outshot, but no matter. Logan O’Connor‘s goal off a feed from Dylan Gambrell early in the second and Tanner Jaillet‘s 28-save shutout would carry the day.
Dec. 2, Denver wins 2-1 (at Duluth)
If DU stole a game vs. UMD this season, this was it. Uncharacteristically outshot 28-15 and swamped in the face-off circle (33-23), the Pioneers won because Jaillet again was stellar and Jarid Lukosevicius (off an assist from O’Connor) and freshman Jake Durflinger scored.
Henrik Borgström scored early in the third period off a feed from Troy Terry, and Jaillet weathered the Bulldogs’ 17-shot third period for another shutout.
This game was the outlier this season with the seven goals. DU took an early lead on O’Connor’s shortie only to see it vanish, then rallied twice on goals by freshman Ryan Barrow and Lukosevicius to tie it before Dylan Gambrell scored the winner 9:09 into the third period.
©First Line Editorial 2017-18
Be the first to comment on "On the surface, very little separates Pioneers and Bulldogs"