Where the team has struggled is on the offensive side. Scoring goals has been a problem. They do not generate many shots on goals, which may be a result of the playing style Head Coach Danton Cole has implemented. The power play though has been atrocious and done them very little in the scoring department.

Michigan State is tied for 47th in the country and last in the Big Ten in goals scored per game with 1.93 per contest. They are also 50th out of 51 teams in the country and last in the Big Ten in power-play goals, converting just three goals on 39 power play attempts equaling 7.7%.

The last MSU power-play goal was five games ago, a Jagger Joshua goal in Game 2 versus Penn State.

Since then, the Spartans are 0-11 on the power play across the last four games.

Before that, the streak was even worse for Michigan State going five games without a power-play goal. At the end of November, during the Ohio State series, the Spartans actually scored a power-play goal in each of the two games, both by Charlie Combs.

Last year’s team was not great on the power play either, but it had a better scoring percentage with a 17.3% rate. However, that is nearly 10% higher than the team currently is and was 2nd worst in the Big Ten.

So, what changed? Why has an already not so great power play gotten even worse this year?

For starters, Michigan State lost four skaters that contributed a power-play goal in 2019: Patrick Khodorenko, Sam Saliba, Logan Lambdin and Jerad Rosburg combined for seven of the 17 power-play goals scored last season.

Combs is a clear and obvious option for picking up for some of those goals left behind. He leads the team in both goals (5) and power-play goals (2). Looking at his two power-play goals, he was in the same position in front of the net.

Mitchell Lewandowski led the team in power-play goals last year with four.

So far, he has just one assist and zero goals on the power play. Dennis Cesana was tied for second on the team in power-play goals with Khodorenko at three. He too has just one assist and zero goals on the power play.

"We have to get back to moving pucks and putting pucks on net, and then you can get a couple to go in and you have some confidence," Cole said after losing to Penn State Saturday. "(Cesana) and those guys are trying to move pucks and get things going. Sometimes, you try to make one extra play instead of shooting. Put pucks on net, have a guy in front and band in some rebounds and get some mojo going. Just do that. We had chances but couldn’t get things to go."

The Spartans had their chance this weekend with six separate power plays. During those attempts, MSU had just four combined shots on goal. Yes, four. As a matter of fact, Penn State had two shots on goal during Michigan State's power plays this weekend, just two less than MSU when they had an extra skater.

That does not seem much like a power play at all. Is it reasonable to say that the Spartans are almost better off not going on the power play and sticking to even strength? That may be going a little too far.

Either way, Michigan State absolutely needs to improve its execution on the power play.

After getting one point this weekend, Michigan State is now in the last place in the Big Ten with 12 points. If they want to climb back up the standings and remove themselves from the cellar of the Big Ten, they must improve offensively and take advantage of power-play opportunities.

The Spartans have a great chance to do so next weekend with a home series against Ohio State (4-9-1), who sits just one point ahead of MSU and gave up two power-play goals to Michigan State in Columbus.