Major postseason seeding implications for Gophers hockey against Ohio State

The Gophers welcome Ohio State to 3M Arena at Maricucci this weekend for their final regular season series at home this season. Both teams are currently tied for second place in this Big Ten and both games will loom large in terms of postseason seeding.

Minnesota and Ohio State are two teams trending in different directions. The Gophers are 3-3-2 in their last eight games, while the Buckeyes are 5-1 in their last six. Their earlier January series in Columbus was split, but it's clear that Ohio State is now a different team.

The Gophers have already clinched home-ice advantage in the first round of the Big Ten tournament, but a sweep this weekend against the Buckeyes would go a long way in potentially hosting a second-round game as well. With only two weeks remaining in the regular season, the games will continue to get more important as Minnesota looks to make it to the Frozen Four this year in St. Louis.

After claiming only two points last weekend at Michigan, Minnesota still sits at No. 3 in the PairWise Rankings, but Maine, Western Michigan and Ohio State nipping at their heels. The PairWise rankings essentially determine the seeds for the NCAA Tournament, so this weekend's series against the Buckeyes will be pivotal for the Gophers' chances of holding onto one of the four No. 1 seeds.

Trailing Michigan State by three points in the Big Ten standings, the Gophers are technically not out of the race for the regular season crown. The Spartans have favorable series remaining against Penn State and Notre Dame, but the only thing Minnesota can control is the team in front of them.

There's a lot of hockey left to play, but this weekend's series between Ohio State and Minnesota at 3M Arena at Mariucci will have a huge impact on how teams are seeded this postseason.

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