[media-credit name=’DEREK MONTGOMERY/Herald photo’ align=’alignnone’ width=’648′][/media-credit]For the Wisconsin men’s hockey team, what once seemed like just a small slip-up has manifested itself into a full-fledged free fall.

The recent struggles of the UW power play have been well-documented. Entering the team’s Jan. 21-22 non-conference series with Notre Dame, the Badgers were the cream of the WCHA crop on the man advantage with a 23.7 power-play percentage. In the ensuing 10 games, UW has converted on just four of 52 chances on the power play, slipping to fifth in the conference.

While Wisconsin has deployed the same two power-play units for much of the season, head coach Mike Eaves has moved players around this week in an effort to jump-start his struggling special-teams unit.

“We said to the boys, ‘Look we’ve been as patient as we can be,'” Eaves said. “‘We were hoping that you guys would settle down and get back to the power play that led the country in power-play percentage at one time. But it’s come to the point where we have to make changes.’ And they agreed. So, they’re excited and I hope that excitement pays off in some scoring chances and some goals for us this weekend.”

One of the units now consists of Robbie Earl, Joe Pavelski, Ryan MacMurchy, Tom Gilbert and Andrew Joudrey, while the quintet of Matt Auffrey, Jake Dowell, Ross Carlson, Kyle Klubertanz and Jeff Likens make up the other group.

Carlson and MacMurchy have switched spots on the man advantage, with Carlson previously playing on the right wing alongside Earl and Pavelski. The blue-line pairing of Klubertanz and Likens also previously manned the point on Earl and Pavelski’s group. In addition to making the changes, Eaves is stressing a back-to-the-basics approach on the man advantage.

“We’ve been struggling, both power plays, the last four weekends, and coaches said, ‘Let’s get a little change up,'” Likens said. “One of the things that we’re not doing enough is shooting. So, one of the things our group — me, Kyle, Ross, Jake and Matt Auffrey — [is trying to do] is just get shots on net and just get back to simplicity.”

The other blue-line duo of Joudrey and Gilbert will slide up to take Klubertanz’s and Likens’ spots. For Joudrey, who usually plays center but moves back to defense on the power play, any change that will potentially boost the offense is a welcome one.

“I think it’s good though — get a little change of scenery for each group and change things up,” Joudrey said. “Hopefully it will spark us to get some goals.”

Such an adaptation is nothing new to Gilbert. The junior defenseman has played additional shifts in the past couple of weeks, logging nearly 30 minutes per contest. Rather than wearing Gilbert down, the additional minutes have merely enhanced his play.

“It tends to be, the more you get out there, the more comfortable you feel and the more flow you get into the game,” Gilbert said. “So the more ice time I get, it just becomes more natural and more comfortable out there. It gets tiring sometimes, but that’s alright, I’m in good condition.”

Wisconsin has played various combinations on the blue line of late, a change from its previous set pairings. While playing more, Gilbert has also paired with nearly every other defenseman on the UW roster, as well as playing on both sides of the ice.

“It’s hard to adapt sometimes,” Gilbert said. “I guess the hardest part is going from right [defenseman] to left [defenseman]. But, I’m used to everyone now. So, it’s not a big shock when I’m out there with someone else that I wasn’t playing with during that game.”

The early returns from the strategy have been pleasant for UW — Gilbert scored two of the Badgers’ three goals last weekend in North Dakota. For the season, the junior assistant captain leads the team with a plus-minus rating of +18.

“He’s just going,” Eaves said. “He’s loving [playing more]. If anything, it’s energized him. I think maybe he’s discovered something about his own physical capabilities by going through this process. It’s funny, as all coaches know — when you’re in the midst of something and there’s a pony that wants to run, you let the reigns out and let him go.”