There was a lot to digest in No. 6 Penn State's split against the No. 17 Michigan State Spartans. Penn State took Game 1 4-3 in the final seconds, but Michigan State responded with a 7-3 blowout the following night.

"They were excellent and we weren't," coach Guy Gadowsky said after Saturday's game. "They beat us in pretty much every way."

The last time Penn State (11-3, 5-3-1) surrendered seven or more goals was February, 2022 when it fell to the Notre Dame Fighting Irish 7-2.

"Sometimes you're gonna have games like that. I'd say that was our first one we got beaten by that kind of margin," Kevin Wall said.

Even the best teams in college hockey have the occasional blowout game. It is not fun in the moment, but there are things to build upon moving forward. Here are three things that stood out in the series.

Defensive zone play means a lot of things. Puck management, defensive zone coverage, breakouts and goaltending are all part of the equation. Penn State struggled in all four facets.

The Nittany Lions really struggled managing the puck in the defensive zone. There were too many failed clears and couldn't connect on outlet passes on the breakout. Michigan State forced lots of turnovers because of its aggressive forecheck and the Lions' defense failed evade the pressure.

This left Liam Souliere and Noah Grannan out to dry numerous times. Souliere was pulled from the cage after surrendering three goals on six shots in Game 2.

"They were able to get a lot of traffic [in front of Souliere]," Gadowsky said. "It's hard to stop what you don't see. The change in Souliere was designed for the team effect."

Grannan was under a lot of pressure and came up with timely saves. He ended up making 21 saves in his third collegiate appearance.

When Penn State started its season, the line of Ture Linden, Ryan Kirwan and Wall combined for 24 points in the first three series. Since conference play started, that trio has only combined for five points.

Kirwan was a healthy scratch in Game 2 of the series after he was put on a line with Ben Schoen and Danny Dzhaniyev in Game 1. The sophomore forward has not scored a goal in eight straight games.

"I think that we have great expectations for him," Gadowsky said. "He'd be the first one to tell you that he hasn't been playing to his expectations or ours. Sometimes players need a little bit of reset to help."

Linden only has one goal, which came in Penn State's 3-0 win over Michigan, and no points in his last five games. His lack of production since Big Ten play started is very concerning considering how dominant of a player he was at the start of the season and last year with RPI, where he led the ECAC with 39 points.

Wall has four points in conference play (three goals, one assist). His latest goal was the third goal of a three-goal comeback in Game 2.

It is good to see the Nittany Lions get production from players who normally don't get on the scoresheet. Guys like Xander Lamppa, Christian Sarlo, Tyler Gratton and Christian Berger have had the most impact in Big Ten play, but Penn State needs production from its best players if it wants to remain a threat.

Ok, let's focus on a positive in this series. The thing that has been holding this team back all season finally payed dividends. Penn State scored three goals on the power play in the series. After failing to convert on three opportunities in Game 1, the Nittany Lions had a late man-advantage opportunity to try and take the the lead. Gadowsky did not start his usual five-man unit and instead went to his physical guys. It payed off as Tyler Gratton was the recipient of a terrific passing sequence.

In Game 2, Penn State had a five-minute power play, needing two to tie. Gratton, just as he did in Game 1, parked himself in front of the goal and got rewarded. Then, the Nittany Lions completely broke down Michigan State's penalty kill with quick passing to tie it at three. Unfortunately, Penn State could not carry that momentum into the rest of the night.

"It's a mentality thing. It's more a conceptual thing rather than a X's and O's or personnel." Gadowsky said.

The power play was 1-for-24 before the Gratton goal in Game 1 and had not scored in 15 straight chances. However, considering that Penn State was able to score three times on the man-advantage against one of the best penalty killing units in the nation, it is certainly a step in the right direction.

The Nittany Lions will look to get back in the win column, when they take on Alaska on Tuesday at Pegula Ice Arena.