In a much more even rivalry, Michigan and Michigan State head to the Duel in the D at Little Caesars Arena featuring many Red Wings draft picks and Detroit natives

If Luke Hughes had so much as blinked before firing last year’s overtime game-winner in the Duel in the D, he wouldn’t have scored. His perfectly fired shot entered the net with 0.6 seconds on the clock, giving the Michigan hockey team its sixth straight win over Michigan State in the annual rivalry game.

If a split-second goal is any indication, this rivalry is a lot more even than in recent seasons even if Michigan has thrived at Little Caesars Arena. Such proximity in ability has only increased the contempt between two programs full of talent.

“We openly hate them, right?” Michigan defenseman Steven Holtz said Jan. 16, before the teams split a home-and-home. “I think all Michigan people are open to saying that to any Michigan State fans face, too. It’s like a respect between the Michigan and Michigan State rivalry that like we openly hate each other. And you could use other words to describe it, but we hate them.”

As they head to Little Caesars for the Duel in the D, each program's architect has strong ties to Detroit. Adam Nightingale, a former Red Wings video and assistant coach, has revitalized the Spartans through recruiting and the transfer portal. Michigan coach Brandon Naurato was once a development consultant for Detroit before becoming an assistant at Michigan. Just like Nightingale, he's now on year two and starting to build his program to the image he wants.

Even if the results favor Michigan overall, the momentum of the rivalry is swinging toward Michigan State. The Spartans had a chance to win each game of last season's four-game slate, upsetting a highly-touted Michigan team in East Lansing in their first matchup. Since then, Michigan State has only elevated its game. Atop the Big Ten standings, the Spartans received a big boost from a crop of freshmen and transfers.

The difference in the rivalry showed when these teams faced off in January. The Wolverines blew out the Spartans 7-1 in their own barn to kick off the series, but then Michigan State rallied from a 4-1 deficit to beat Michigan, 7-5, the next night at Yost.

“When it’s a better matchup, it just adds that much more to the rivalry,” Michigan forward Mark Estapa said Tuesday. “The games are more intense … you're more excited going into it. It’s gonna be a battle. Just an all out war.”

Lineups

Michigan has tinkered with its bottom six quite a bit this season, but the top line of Rutger McGroarty (WPG), Frank Nazar III (CHI) and Gavin Brindley (CBJ) will likely stay together. McGroarty has one of the hottest sticks in the country this season, scoring a nation-leading 1.67 points per game despite missing some time due to injury. The Wolverines have gotten a lot of scoring out of Dylan Duke (TB) and T.J. Hughes on the second line.

The Wolverines also get a big scoring boost on the back end from defenseman Seamus Casey (NJD), who is tied for the most points by a defenseman this season with Denver’s Zeev Buium (brother of Red Wings 2021 second-rounder Shai Buium). In net, grad transfer Jake Barczewski was particularly solid against Ohio State over the weekend, allowing three goals on 69 shots.

For the Spartans, sophomore forwards Isaac Howard, Joey Larson and Red Wings draft pick Red Savage have brought their offensive touch to the lineup after transferring in, each scoring more than 20 points this season. Michigan State's offense attacks in waves, with a 20-point scorer on each of their top three lines.

On defense, Michigan State defenseman Artyom Levshunov is currently ranked second among North American skaters by NHL Central Scouting. The 6-foot-2, Belarussian righty has 26 points this season as the Spartans' No. 1 defenseman.

In net, Red Wings draft pick Trey Augustine is having a terrific freshman season with a 16-6-2 record and .911 save percentage. The last time he faced Michigan, though, he let up 12 goals in the two-game series. Since then, though, Augustine has let in nine goals and recorded a shutout in his last game against Notre Dame.

Not-so-Little Caesars

The Detroit connections run even deeper for Estapa, Kienan Draper, Tiernan Shoudy and Tanner Kelly. The quartet skated for Little Caesars AAA during their U16 season. Coached by Red Wings assistant general manager Kris Draper (also Kienan's dad), they won a Midget Minor state championship together in 2019, and the pictures of their celebration are featured on a prominent photo wall in the Red Wings’ practice facility.

Now, Estapa and Draper play for Michigan while Shoudy and Kelly represent Michigan State. Given the grit with which each plays, don’t be surprised if they get into some dust-ups with their former teammates.

Those four might’ve played for Little Caesars, but the Detroit connections course throughout each roster. Michigan defensemen Brendan Miles, Steven Holtz and Jacob Truscott all grew up in Metro Detroit, as did forwards Frank Nazar III and Philippe Lapointe alongside Estapa and Draper.

Lapointe should sound familiar because his dad, Martin Lapointe, played for Detroit. He wore the Winged Wheel for 10 of his 16 NHL seasons, winning two Stanley Cups in 1997 and 1998. He’s now the director of amateur scouting for Montreal.

From Michigan State’s roster, goaltenders Trey Augustine and Luca Di Pasquo are from the area, as well as forwards Joey Larson, Griffin Jurecki, Owen Baker and Shoudy.

Where to Watch

Saturday’s game starts at 8:30 p.m., and will be broadcast on the Big Ten Network.

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