The No. 17-ranked Michigan Wolverines are hitting their stride just in time for a visit to Big Ten rival No. 6 Ohio State this weekend in Columbus, Ohio.

A four-game winning streak — hinged on sweeps of other Big Ten opponents in No. 9 Minnesota and No. 12 Penn State — has launched the Wolverines to 7-7-2-1 in the conference, good enough for third place.

While Notre Dame is running away with the conference, second place is in Michigan’s sights; the spot is currently held by the No. 6 Buckeyes with an 8-5-1 conference record.

The difference between the two teams is the sweep the Buckeyes handed the Wolverines in late November, when Michigan was still getting its feet wet under new coach Mel Pearson.

The first game of the pivotal rematch series will be streamed live, right here on FloHockey, on Friday, January 26 at 7 PM EST.

Michigan, 12-10-2 overall, has been stingy defensively during their streak, allowing just six goals in four games, including a shutout over Penn State, the highest scoring team in the nation.

“I think one of the things we’re really doing is breaking the puck out so much better than we were earlier in the year,” Pearson told Robert Hefter of The Michigan Daily. “That makes it easier. You’re not in your zone as much and you’re forcing their good players to play in their zone.”

The elite scorers the Buckeyes rely on will test the Wolverines’ improving breakout and offensive push, while OSU goalie Troy Romeo provides stellar goaltending.

Michigan will be up against a consistently strong defensive team with a scorching offense.

Over the past eight games, Tanner Laczynski and Matthew Weis have combined for eight goals and a whopping 27 points to help the team win seven of its last eight games for a 15-5-4 overall record.

? Buckeyes remain at No. 6⃣ in this week's @USCHO poll.

Ohio State (15-5-4) hosts No. 17 Michigan at 7 p.m. Friday and 8 p.m. Saturday in @TheSchott. #GoBucks pic.twitter.com/eixu29Nba2

— Ohio State M Hockey (@OhioState_MHKY) January 22, 2018

The lone loss came on January 12 when No. 13 Penn State managed an outlying 5-1 win. The Buckeyes have also been off since then, and while a nice break can be a helpful reset, it could create some problems for a team that was rolling since the beginning of December.

OSU will be playing host for the first time since December 30; they are just 5-3-3 at home — compared to 10-2-1 away — but Michigan hasn’t been a dangerous road team at 4-5-1.

Factor in their current four-game home winning streak and the chips could be stacked in the Buckeyes’ favor.

Don’t miss the live action right here on FloHockey when the rivals go head-to-head on Friday at 7 PM.

By Jacob Messing

Have a question or a comment for Jacob? You can find him on Twitter @JMessing23.