No. 16 Penn State men’s hockey dropped a 4-2 decision to unranked Michigan State at Munn Ice Arena in East Lansing Friday night.

Nate Sucese and Nikita Pavlychev scored for the Nittany Lions, but the team’s defense couldn’t stop the Spartans’ top line. Nicknamed the “KHL” line, Patrick Khodorenko, Taro Hirose, and Mitchell Lewandowski combined to score seven points and were responsible for three of the team’s four goals en route to the team’s eleventh win of the season. Can Penn State bounce back and get a desperately-needed victory, or will Michigan State all but axe the Nittany Lions’ NCAA tournament hopes?

Adjustments: Penn State

Penn State needs to make three key adjustments entering game two of this weekend’s series. The team needs to avoid falling behind early, take advantage of favorable momentum swings by scoring goals, and find a way to stop the Spartans’ electric “KHL” line.

The Nittany Lions completely dominated most of the second period of Friday night’s game, but had nothing to show for it. A minor penalty led to major trouble, as Mitchell Lewandowski doubled the Spartans’ lead with a backbreaking goal.

Penn State was down in the second period due to a shaky first period. Playing from behind is exponentially harder in hockey than it is in nearly any other sport, so Penn State has to get off to a fast start in Saturday’s game to increase its chances of winning.

Michigan State’s dynamic “KHL” line ran rings around Penn State’s defense on Friday night and none of the other trios matched the top line’s production and energy. If the defense can find a way to shut down the “KHL” line, the rest should fall into place for Guy Gadowsky’s squad.

Adjustments: Michigan State

Michigan State played an extremely strong home game on Friday night, but it was not perfect by any means. The team’s poor defensive coverage of Penn State’s centers led to two goals against, and the team sat back a bit too much with the lead.

Nate Sucese found way too much time and space on the Nittany Lions’ opening goal of the evening. The center executed a perfect faceoff play by winning the draw back to Denis Smirnov, who intentionally missed the net so the puck would bank right to Sucese in front of the goal. The sophomore center slipped his defensive man’s coverage on the play, tying the game at one.

Additionally, the team sat back way too much with the lead, especially in the second period. The Spartans knew that Penn State would respond to a poor first period effort with a flurry of chances; they relied on their goalie way too much in the second period. John Lethemon shut the door and kept Penn State’s offense at bay, but sitting back against a team as dangerous as the Nittany Lions is never a good idea.

Stat Of The Day

Two Nittany Lions are closing in on major milestones as the 2017-18 season draws to a close.

Forward Andrew Sturtz is just one point away from recording 100 in his Penn State career — he’s tallied 52 goals and 47 assists in 103 games played. Guy Gadowsky is two wins away from 100 Penn State victories — he’s tallied 246 wins in his NCAA coaching career with Penn State, Alaska-Anchorage, and Princeton.

Prediction

To put it simply, Penn State needs to win this game. A loss could serve as the final nail in the coffin in the team’s NCAA Tournament hopes. That said, I think Penn State responds to the challenge and picks up a crucial three points in the conference standings.