Michigan Hockey 16-17, Game #26: Michigan State 4, Michigan 1

Submitted by David on

(Bill Rapai) Yeah, pretty much...

 

OFFENSE

  • FIRST: Yawn.  Like, nothing?  Michigan had 13 even strength attempts and 3 of those came from home plate.  Everything else was from quite a distance.  Of those 13 attempts, 5 were on frame.  This was Michigan from a few weeks ago.  I really can't remember anything worth mentioning.  

     
  • SECOND: Michigan created 9 even strength attempts.  That's not good at all.  At least 6 of those came from home plate?  Yay.  So, when they could look to the net at even strength, it was probably from a decent spot.  This is an anomaly and I don't really know what to say about it...thank you for skewing the data?  They're going to need more than 9 looks at the net per period.

     
  • THIRD: So, Michigan created 19(6) in this period.  Which...does not feel like was what I saw.  Ten of those were on frame.  I guess 5 were on the power play.  That makes a little more sense.  Michigan ends with a 42(14) at 33%.  42 is low-ish (overall, not for M this season) and 33% is average for the season.  Michigan won 3rd period corsi by 10, mostly because the actual score was 4-0 for the entire period.  So, this stat is a little skewed tonight.  And honestly, there were 21 combined penalties, so even strength time was very limited.  

 

DEFENSE

  • FIRST: Michigan allowed 20 even strength attempts but only 5 from inside home plate.  Of those 20, 14 were on frame.  MSU threatened once on a 2v1 and another few times on some bad clears or sloppy passes.  JLF had to be sound a few times, but that was mostly in the last 6-7 minutes of the first period.  Before that...not a whole lot happened.  This looked like a game between #5 and #6 in the Big Ten.  Oh, look at that...

     
  • SECOND: So, the defense was not good.  There were missed clears, DZTOs, and failed passes all around.  Oddly, there were somehow only 13 even strength attempts on net for MSU...and only 3(!?!?) came from home plate.  This is a weird game.  MSU had 2 shorthanded attempts from the slot.  Insert shruggie here.  Michigan's problem was not as much the sheer volume but the bad DZTOs.  Piazza and Dancs combined for a terrible one that resulted in a mini in-zone breakaway that was converted.  Ugh.  If it's not one thing, its another with this defense.

     
  • THIRD: Michigan allowed only nine even strength attempts in the third period.  Four of those nine came from home plate.  That's not a great ratio, but the overall total is fantatsic.  Over half of MSU's attempts came on special teams.  Normally, I stand by these corsi numbers, but tonight's are a little deceiving.  Michigan had a bad goaltending gaffe, a really bad SH goal against, an AWFUL DZTO, and a lucky shot from the boards that all went in...and pretty much nothing else.  The overall defense has been bad, but it is not accurately reflected in the corsi numbers from tonight.  This game is an outlier.  

 

SPECIAL TEAMS

  • FIRST: I mean, not really.  Michigan drew a penalty and barely got their power play set up.  It was not inspiring.  On the plus side, they did not take a penalty.

     
  • SECOND: Penalties for everyone!  Michigan had three power play chances, but scored on none of them.  They did look threatening on their 2nd and 3rd opportunities, though.  Unfortunately, they gave away a shorthanded goal on a 2v0.  Lethemon made a few nice saves and the Wolverines still have not scored against MSU at Yost, this season.  Michigan also gave away three powerplays to MSU.  They also looked threatening but did not score.  They did however tally right at the end of one of theirs...so, kinda a power play goal?  Sure, but not statistically.  

     
  • THIRD: Michigan somehow had five (!!) powerplays in the third period.  Wow.  Apparently, they had their chances.  Anyway, they finally scored on the last opportunity to get their first goal against MSU at Yost, this season.  Michigan gave MSU two more powerplays in the third.  MSU scored on neither of them  They did however score another shorthanded goal that was a shot pass at the net that Nagelvoort just fanned on.  In the end, MSU went 0/5 and M went 1/8.  

 

GOALTENDING

  • FIRST: Jack LaFontaine started in net and he did not have much to do for a while.  As the period progressed, MSU started controlling more and he was forced to make a few tough saves.  JLF was up to the task, though.  He hasn't started since the PSU series, but it was difficult to tell.  After a couple of soft goals last night, it was not a surprise to see JLF in net.  Lavigne has played very well, lately, but last night was an excuse to give someone else some playing time.  In the end, JLF made 14 saves in the first period.

     
  • SECOND: Jack LaFontaine played the first half of the second period before getting injured.  He looked good while he was playing.  Boka was checked into the post and hit JLF in the process.  He skated around, stayed in the game, but ultimately came out at the following whistle. The goal he conceded was a fling from the boards that went through at least two skaters and apparently evaded his vision, as he had no idea the puck was by him. He ended up with 18 saves on 19 shots.  Nagelvoort came in to relieve him.  He was not put in good situations, as neither goal he allowed was his fault at all.  The first was a bad DZTO between Piazza and Dancs where Osburn walked right in a roofed one above Nagelvoort.  The second was a 2v0, shorthanded.  Nagelvoort has no shot on either.

     
  • THIRD: Nagelvoort actually had a good period...after the first goal.  So, he had to be off-balance, but...an attacker was fading away from the net and just half-heartedly flailed a puck at him and he slid right by/over it and it went into the net.  No one was in the way.  That's about how this game went.  He actually looked good after that mess.  Stuffed a couple breakaways and was solid, holding his posts a few times.  Goaltending wasn't the reason M lost this game.  The 4th goal was not great, though.

 

ODD MAN RUSHES

  • FIRST:  MSU had two OMRs.  The first was a 3v2 that ended in nothing really.  I don't think the puck ended up anywhere near the net.  The second OMR was at the end of a shift for M and Cox beat Calderone down the ice.  Calderone did close well and impacted his shot...that JLF saved, anyway.  

     
  • SECOND: MSU gets a 2v0 breakaway, shorthanded and beats newly-inserted Zach Nagelvoort.  2v0 shortanded is pretty bad.

     
  • THIRD: MSU had 2 semi-breakaways...Nagelvoort stopped both.  OMRs were a problem, tonight.  Only 1 goal allowed, but 4 breakaways and a threatening 2v1.  This hasn't happened in a while.  Glad to see these are back, too...

 

FINAL CORSI SCORE

I had: Michigan State 42, Michigan 41   HOW????  THIS MAKES NO SENSE.

www.collegehockeynews.com had: Michigan State 43 , Michigan 41