Saturday Is Supposed to Be Easy. That's the Trap Minnesota has the talent advantage. Anchorage has a plan. The Gophers can't afford to play into it.

Saturday night at Mariucci should be a comfortable finish to Minnesota's series against Alaska Anchorage. The Gophers host the Seawolves at 6 p.m., following Friday's 7 p.m. opener. Both games will be available on FOX9+ and B1G+.

On paper, this looks like a mismatch. Minnesota owns a 58-19-8 all-time record against Anchorage and has gone 8-0-1 in the last nine meetings. These programs haven't faced each other since the 2016-17 season.

Anchorage arrives at 1-9-0 and riding a five-game losing streak after dropping two games at St. Thomas last weekend, 5-2 and 7-4. The Seawolves are allowing 5.3 goals per game, ranking 62nd nationally, while scoring just 2.2.

So why should Minnesota be concerned?

Because Anchorage has something going for it that doesn't show up in the win column. The Seawolves rank fourth nationally with 161 blocked shots.

That's not an accident. That's a survival plan.

When you're facing a more talented opponent, you don't necessarily try to beat them at their own game. You get in the way. You sacrifice the body, take away shooting lanes, and make every scoring opportunity more difficult than it needs to be. A blocked shot can stop a scoring chance, but it can also frustrate an opponent and disrupt the rhythm of an entire shift.

Eventually, skilled players start looking for the perfect shooting lane instead of simply putting the puck on net. That extra hesitation is exactly what an underdog wants.

And that's where Saturday could become interesting.

Minnesota enters the weekend at 3-3-2 after tying and then losing to No. 1 Wisconsin last week. The Gophers showed they could defend against one of the country's best teams, but that defensive effort came at a cost offensively. Brett Larson described the team's defensive performance against Wisconsin as strong, while acknowledging the difficulty of generating offense afterward.

The danger against Anchorage is falling into the same pattern.

If Minnesota spends the night trying to pick corners through a wall of shin pads, the Seawolves will be perfectly happy. The Gophers could become frustrated, slow down their attack, and give an underdog exactly what it needs: a chance to hang around.

The solution isn't complicated. Shoot quickly, put pucks on net, get bodies to the crease, and make Anchorage deal with rebounds. Don't wait for a perfect lane. Make the Seawolves block shots, defend second chances, and work for every inch of ice.

If Minnesota can turn the game into a constant attack, those blocked shots could become a liability as the weekend progresses.

1. The First Ten Minutes

Minnesota needs to establish its pace early. An opening goal would force Anchorage to become more aggressive and move away from the defensive approach that has kept it competitive. If the game remains scoreless after the first period, however, the Seawolves will start believing they can make something happen.

2. The Young Legs

Anchorage's underclassmen have produced 42 points compared with 18 from the upperclassmen. Sophomore Oren Shtrom has four points in his last two games, and the young players will be important if the Seawolves hope to stay competitive.

Senior Aiden Westin is also scheduled to play his 100th career game Saturday. That's a milestone worth recognizing, particularly for a team working through a difficult start.

The question is whether Anchorage can maintain its energy over a weekend on the road. Minnesota needs to make the Seawolves defend for 60 minutes and see what happens when the third period arrives.

3. The Man Behind the Anchorage Bench

There is another interesting connection here. Anchorage head coach Eric Rud is in his first season and previously worked as an assistant under Brett Larson at St. Cloud State.

That familiarity matters. Rud has experience with the coaching philosophy and systems associated with Larson, and he'll have an idea of what Minnesota wants to do. Don't be surprised if Anchorage tries to slow the game down, clog the middle, and make the Gophers earn every scoring opportunity.

Minnesota doesn't need to be fancy on Saturday. It needs to be fast, direct, and relentless. Get pucks to the net, retrieve rebounds, and make Anchorage pay for trying to turn the game into a shooting-gallery obstacle course.

The Gophers have the talent advantage, the home rink, and a significant historical edge. But none of that matters if they allow a struggling opponent to dictate the pace.

Anchorage is going to block shots. That's what it does. The challenge for Minnesota is making those blocks hurt.

Play with pace, attack the net, and take care of business. Don't turn an expected win into an unnecessary headache.

Written by Thee Scott Spindler