Gophers men’s hockey on scoring surge
Gophers men’s hockey (⬆️ UP)
Since being swept by Notre Dame on Jan. 15-16, the No. 2 Gophers have rattled off four consecutive wins over Arizona State (Jan. 21-22) and Ohio State (Jan. 29-30). Minnesota tallied 30 goals over that span, outscoring its opponents 30-5. Heading into Saturday’s finale with Ohio State, the Gophers had lit the lamp 25 times in their last three contests, the most in program history over a three-game stretch since they racked up 34 during 1985-86 campaign — a season which resulted in a trip to the Frozen Four.
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Twins lineup (⬆️ UP)
Nelson Cruz has led the Twins in home runs, slugging percentage and OPS over the past two seasons. It was an easy decision to bring him back. On Tuesday night, Minnesota agreed to sign Cruz to a one-year deal worth $13 million. That immediately gives Minnesota’s lineup a big boost, as the threat of Cruz’s bat should make life easier for Josh Donaldson, Max Kepler and Miguel Sano in middle of the Twins’ lineup.
Gabe Kalscheur, Gophers guard (⬇️ DOWN)
The DeLaSalle product has struggled in 2020-21, averaging a career-low 9.1 points per contest while shooting 23% from 3-point range, by far his worst career clip. Over the last five contests, Kalscheur has scored in double figures once — a 10-point effort against Michigan on Jan. 16 – and is shooting 31% from the field. He’s nailed just 5 of 23 attempts from deep (21.7%) in that span.
Kirill Kaprizov, Wild forward (⬆️ UP)
Kaprizov lit the lamp Tuesday night for his first career power-play goal – just the Wild’s third PPG of the season. With three points in his last four contests, Kaprizov is up to nine points on the year (three goals, six assists), which leads all NHL rookies.
Jackson LaCombe, Gophers defenseman (⬆️ UP)
LaCombe tallied a shorthanded goal in both meetings with Ohio State last weekend for his second and third of the season, matching a career high. The sophomore from Eden Prairie, Minn., is riding a career-best four-game point streak and was named the Big Ten third star of the week Tuesday.
