After an exciting first half of the season, the start of 2026 has not been kind to the Wisconsin men’s hockey team. Ranked as high as second in the USCHO rankings, the now-No. 13 Wisconsin Badgers have been on a freefall during their current six-game losing streak. All but eliminated from contending for the Big Ten regular season title, the Badgers are desperate to get back in the win column this weekend against last-place Notre Dame.
Wisconsin (15-9-2, 8-8 B1G) suffered sweeps at the hands of both
Michigan State and Penn State, both currently in the USCHO’s top six. While not ideal, it’s understandable. But last weekend, the Badgers were never competitive with a Minnesota squad that entered 0-7-1 in their last eight games, giving up 12 goals over two games in what was the definitive worst performance of the season.
The Badgers just aren’t doing anything well at the moment. They can’t find a way to score five-on-five, and their once-vaunted power play is struggling to generate legitimate scoring chances. In Friday’s game against a statistically poor penalty kill, Wisconsin mustered just two shots over five power plays. They managed to convert on two of their three opportunities Saturday, but at that point, the game was already out of reach.
While the struggling power play is problematic, Wisconsin’s inability to kill penalties is worse. The Gophers went 6-for-8 on the power play last weekend, playing a significant role in the lopsided results.
To make matters worse, the Badgers lost sophomore defenseman Logan Hensler for an undetermined amount of time in Saturday’s blowout loss. The first-round draft pick suffered a left leg injury that head coach Mike Hastings said “[is] going to take some time.”
Wisconsin needs all the help it can get as its once-promising season is starting to look something like a nightmare with this second-half collapse. If there were ever a get-right opportunity, it’s this weekend at home against the conference’s worst team.
Notre Dame (5-18-3, 1-13 B1G) is coming off back-to-back ties with Bowling Green, and before that beat Ohio State for their only Big Ten win of the season. The Irish may be licking their chops for a chance to add more conference wins against a vulnerable Wisconsin team unable to find their footing.
The Badgers beat Notre Dame twice on the road before the holiday break and averaged eight goals per game in the series. That is the Wisconsin that needs to show up on Friday night if they want to start getting back into the fans’ good graces, though it will take more than one good weekend to quell the concerns.
Two years ago, Wisconsin ascended to the top ranking and narrowly missed a Big Ten regular season title after stumbling toward the finish line, culminating in an immediate exit from the Big Ten Tournament and a one-and-done performance in the NCAA Tournament. This year is starting to mirror the 2023-24 season, which doesn’t instill much optimism in the stretch run. The Badgers never threatened to contend for the conference or a tournament spot last year.
Still, the Badgers have eight games over the next five weeks to make a case that things will be different this time, especially with their last two matchups against No. 1 Michigan and No. 6 Penn State. And the good news is that January can’t hurt them anymore. The Minnesota series seemed to take whatever wind was left in the sails, and it remains to be seen if Wisconsin has the pride to pick itself up off the mat and start throwing punches again.
Game Info
Date: February 6-7
Time: 7:00 p.m.
Place: Madison, Wis. | Kohl Center
TV: B1G+ | Radio: 1310 WIBA
