Just when it seemed the Wisconsin Badgers were ready to shake Ohio State’s black magic after last Friday night’s win, the Buckeyes reared their ugly heads on Saturday night with a third-period rally to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat. It’s a game the Badgers will need to put out of sight, out of mind quickly as they gear up for a visit from the No. 2 Michigan Wolverines this weekend.
The No. 13 Wisconsin Badgers (18-10-2, 11-9 B1G) are in a desperate battle for their playoff lives, making Saturday
night’s performance against the Buckeyes all the more frustrating. Wisconsin’s offense was humming in game one, but game two was almost exclusively a dump-and-chase routine. Shades of the offensive woes that have plagued Wisconsin in the new year resurfaced, as they were unable to convert a five-on-five goal in the loss and rarely entered the offensive zone with control of the puck.
Moreover, it was the third time in their last four games that Wisconsin has blown a lead in the third period, all against the bottom two teams in the Big Ten. The Badgers were able to overcome the blown leads both times against Notre Dame, but failed to escape in Columbus.
To add insult to injury, starting goaltender Daniel Hauser left last Friday’s game with an upper-body injury, giving Eli Pulver the start on Saturday. Reading between the lines from head coach Mike Hastings’ press conference earlier this week, Pulver will likely get the nod against Michigan this weekend. Hauser was evaluated in Madison last Monday, and there is reportedly no structural damage, but he is dealing with a limited range of motion that could sideline him in the short term.
Pulver has been removed from three of his last four starts and surrendered a few more cheap goals last weekend. Wisconsin’s offense did not play well enough to win last Saturday, but Pulver was wildly out of position on Ohio State’s first goal and struggled to corral a weak backhand from the faceoff circle on the second. The Buckeyes’ third goal was the result of a careless Luke Osburn turnover in the defensive zone, a strong individual effort from Ryan Gordon to strip the puck in the corner before beating Pulver to the stick side.
If Pulver does get the start, he will hope to channel his performance against another highly-ranked Michigan team when he beat No. 1 Michigan State in back-to-back road starts earlier this season. But the Wolverines are too good to beat, relying on solid goaltender play, Wisconsin will need to score some goals.
Michigan (24-5-1, 15-4-1 B1G) leads the NCAA in scoring offense, putting up 4.70 goals per game. The Wolverines feature two players, T.J. Hughes and Michael Hage, with over 40 points already this season. Will Horcoff and Jayden Perron have both eclipsed the 30-point threshold. For comparison, Gavin Morrissey is the leading point man for Wisconsin with 28 points this season.
The Badgers did earn a split in Ann Arbor earlier this season, but that Wisconsin team was on an upward trajectory, while this version has been struggling to control its tailspin while clinging to hopes of an NCAA Tournament berth.
The competition only gets tougher after playing the conference’s bottom feeders the last two weeks. The Badgers will have a bye after the Michigan series before traveling to No. 6 Penn State to finish the regular season. Currently teetering on the edge of postseason play, Wisconsin will likely need to win at least two of its last four games to feel good about its chances before the Big Ten Tournament. The Ohio State loss did not sink their odds, but it was a missed opportunity to stack a very important win.
As it stands, Wisconsin is in line to host their first-round series in the Big Ten Tournament with an eight-point lead over both Ohio State and Minnesota. The Buckeyes and Gophers play a combination of Penn State, Michigan, and Michigan State to end the season, so it will take some significant upsets for the Badgers to lose out on home ice, which could be significant if a Big Ten Tournament run is needed for the final playoff push.
As for this weekend, the Badgers are cornered in their own den, which hopefully makes them dangerous. It’s going to take some desperate play to match a Michigan team that’s been one of the nation’s best all year. If they have some magic buried in the depths of the Kohl Center, now would be a great time to put it to use. Wisconsin likely can’t lose its bid for the postseason this weekend, but it sure as heck can win it with a couple of great performances.
The Kohl Center crowd should be rocking despite a disappointing 2026 so far. Friday night is fan appreciation night, and Hastings spoke about his team needing to deliver a better product on home ice to get the crowd involved, saying fans are “coming here to be entertained. Chasing a game is not real entertaining if you’re the home crowd.”
He wants to deliver a better product on both ends of the ice, adding that Kohl Center crowds are savvy, and they appreciate when the team takes the ice and gives it all they have.
Saturday night will see the seven seniors celebrated before the puck drops, honoring the contributions of captain Ben Dexheimer, Kyle Kukkonen, Simon Tassy, Christian Fitzgerald, Tyson Dyck, Jack Horbach, and Aiden Dubinsky.
Game Info
Date: February 20-21
Time: Friday – 7 p.m. | Saturday – 6 p.m.
Place: Madison, Wis. | Kohl Center
TV: B1G+ | Radio: 1310 WIBA
