Gophers Hockey Big Ten Tournament Hub: Schedule, Bracket, Predictions

After a disappointing 11-21-3 record in the regular season, Gophers men's hockey claimed the sixth seed in this year's Big Ten tournament. They will play against Penn State on Wednesday night in Happy Valley. Let's break it down.

Bracket

Big Ten hockey tournament bracket. | Picture via: @tonyliebert (X)

The first-round of the tournament will be single elimination, which is a change from having three-game series in previous years. All three games will be on Wednesday night on BTN+, and then the semifinals will be reseeded and played on Saturday. Those games will be broadcast on Big Ten Network (BTN), along with the championship game the following Saturday.

Betting odds

Michigan State (+120)
Michigan (+175)
Penn State (+700)
Wisconsin (+850)
Ohio State (+3000)
Minnesota (+3500)
Notre Dame (+7500)

DraftKings Sportsbook has released betting odds for the Big Ten tournament, and Minnesota is listed at +3500. That price would give them an implied probability of 2.78% to win the tournament. Michigan State and Michigan are heavy favorites, followed by a big drop off to Penn State and Wisconsin and then Ohio State and Minnesota.

Predictions

Despite having their most regular-season losses since the 1997-98 season, the Gophers had at least one win over every Big Ten team in the regular season. They were 0-3-1 against Michigan State, but won a shootout in last week's regular-season finale. They were 1-3 against Michigan, 1-3 against Penn State, 2-2 against Wisconsin, 1-3 against Ohio State and 2-1-1 against Notre Dame. In a vacuum, those numbers make it seem like Minnesota is alive to make a surprise run, but it might be harder than that.

The Gophers open on Wednesday night at Penn State, a place that they lost by a combined score of 8-2 in the regular season. If they win that game, they would likely play at Michigan State, which is a place they lost by a combined score of 6-3 in the regular season.

Impressive goaltending from Luca Di Pasquo will give them chance against anyone in the conference, but he has faced the third-most shots in the entire conference. This tournament feels like Michigan State or Michigan's to lose, as they've been the most consistent teams in the conference all season. I am going off the board, and I think Gavin McKenna leads Penn State to a suprise Big Ten title run.

Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem and wants help, call 1-800-GAMBLER.