Getting the first goal on the road is always a good idea, regardless of when it comes. No. 6 Denver did just that in its 2-1 victory over Michigan State at East Lansing, Mich., on Friday night.

It took until 5:33 into the third period, but DU (3-2) got on the board first courtesy of  center Henrik Borgstrom. The freshman then set up sophomore Jarid Lukosevicius with 3:35 to go with what proved to be the winning goal.

Despite the 0-0 score after two periods, DU coach Jim Montgomery was upbeat about his team’s chances at that juncture he told AM 1600’s Jay Stickney after the game.

“I told them, ‘You’ve been the better team, continue with the process,’ “Montgomery said. “I thought their goalie was giving up rebounds. We needed someone to get there and get an ugly goal.”

Tanner Jaillet gave up just a 6-on-4 power-play goal with 1:21 remaining. The junior stopped 19 shots.

On a night when offense was at a premium, the Pioneers kept mistakes to a minimum and held off the Spartans (0-3) for an efficient road win.

“I thought (Michigan State) competed really hard,” Montgomery said. “From what I saw on film, they improved dramatically from last week.”

The top line steps up

When Dylan Gambrell went out with an upper-body injury, there was more than a bit of concern about where the Pioneers’ offense would come from. If the past two games are any indication, we have an answer. Borgstrom has stepped up with three goals and an assist in the past two games, and just as he did against Boston University last Saturday, he turned the game’s momentum with a goal off a feed from Troy Terry, and then he helped give DU some breathing room when his drop pass found Lukosevicius, who fired it past Ed Minney.

“I thought (Lukosevicius) played really well tonight. He could have had four goals,” Montgomery said. “I told him keep shooting. (The goal) was kind of a knuckle puck. That’s why you keep shooting, goalies miss some.”

Standing tall in net

Jaillet might not have been tested often, but when he was he faced a handful of quality chances.

“I loved the way he played in third. I thought he was our best player,” Montgomery said.

Making his third consecutive start Jaillet seems to be finding a grove. He has allowed just one goal in each of his past two games, stopping 43 shots combined in the process for a .955 save percentage.

Defense doesn’t rest

Defense figured to be a strength for the Pioneers, and indeed it has been. DU has allowed just 71 shots over its past three games, an average of fewer than 24 per game. And the Pioneers have allowed just 12 goals total through five games. Numbers like that are a result of a team effort, and DU is getting that from its blue liners.

“On the road you just want to be efficient. I thought we were in our first two periods, in particular our defensive position,” Montgomery said.

Notes

DU went 0-for-4 on the power play, making it 1 for its past 11 tries and just 4 for 31 on the season (12.9 percent). Montgomery said the Pioneers need to execute some of the basics better with the man advantage. “We’re not winning face-offs, and we’re just not moving the puck enough,” he said. “Guys are open and we’re not making reads.” … Saturday’s game starts two hours earlier, facing off at 3:05 p.m. MDT