Point-Bobrovsky

Each Friday, NHL Network and ESPN analyst Kevin Weekes will provide readers with three games he is looking forward to that weekend:

Florida Panthers at Tampa Bay Lightning (Saturday, 4:30 p.m. ET; SN360, BSSUNX, BSFL, ESPN+, SN NOW)
The battle of Florida has been revitalized the past few seasons. Forward Matthew Tkachuk, acquired by the Panthers in a trade with the Calgary Flames on July 22, has been even better than advertised. He leads the Flames in scoring and is sixth in the NHL with 37 points (13 goals, 24 assists) in 25 games, and is such a great player in every facet of the game, offensively, defensively and physically. And a lot of that has been without center Aleksander Barkov, who has missed six games because of an illness. Defenseman Brandon Montour (22 points; five goals, 17 assists in 25 games) has emerged nicely since the departure of MacKenzie Weegar as part of the trade for Tkachuk. Florida (13-10-4) is trying to become a more well-rounded team instead of just an offensive team.
The Lightning (16-9-1) got off to a slow start but have turned it around. Steven Stamkos has broken the 500-assist (509) and 1,000-point (1,004) plateaus in the NHL and the center is five goals shy of 500 in the League. Forward Nikita Kucherov (38 points; 11 goals, 27 assists in 26 games) and center Brayden Point (27 points; 13 goals, 14 assists in 26 games) staying healthy has been a huge factor. Forward Nicholas Paul (19 points; 12 goals, seven assists in 26 games has been an underrated addition since arriving in a trade with the Ottawa Senators last season and defenseman Mikhail Sergachev (24 points; four goals, 20 assists in 26 games) has elevated his game since taking on more responsibility with the departure of defenseman Ryan McDonagh in a trade to the Nashville Predators on July 3.
Calgary Flames at Toronto Maple Leafs (Saturday, 7 p.m. ET; CBC, SNO, SNW, SNP, ESPN+)
The Flames (13-10-3) came back to defeat the Minnesota Wild 5-3 on Wednesday after falling behind 2-0. Goalie Dan Vladar has started three straight games prior to Calgary's game at the Columbus Blue Jackets on Friday, which has given Jacob Markstrom, a Vezina Trophy finalist last season, some time to work on his game. Center Nazem Kadri (20 points; 10 goals, 10 assists in 26 games) has five points (two goals, three assists) in a three-game point streak; that's a great sign because for me, he needs to be Calgary's emotional leader. With Tkachuk and forward Johnny Gaudreau gone, the offense has been spread out, with 11 players having at least 10 points. And center Jonathan Huberdeau, who came to the Flames in the Tkachuk trade, is still feeling his way with 16 points (four goals, 12 assists) in 23 games.
I think the biggest factor for the Maple Leafs (17-5-6) is the goaltending has been better than anyone would have anticipated. Matt Murray (6-1-2, 2.34 goals-against average, .932 save percentage) made 44 saves in a 4-0 win at the Dallas Stars on Tuesday, and Ilya Samsonov (8-2-0, 1.87 GAA, .933 save percentage) made 29 saves in a 5-0 win against the Los Angeles Kings on Thursday. The team defense in general has been great without their top three defenseman (Morgan Rielly, TJ Brodie, Jake Muzzin). And forward Mitchell Marner has 28 points (10 goals, 18 assists) in a 21-game point streak, the longest in Toronto history. All things being equal, you have to say the Maple Leafs are playing a complete game, with points in 13 straight (10-0-3).
Boston Bruins at Vegas Golden Knights (Sunday, 8 p.m. ET; NHLN, SN, ATTSN-RM, NESN)
The Bruins (21-3-1) are the perfect team right now. They're doing what the Colorado Avalanche did last season, and maybe even more. They are dominant in every phase of the game; Boston ranks third in the NHL in goals (99), first in goals goals against (52), fifth on the power play (28.4 percent) and first on the penalty kill (85.3 percent). For me, goalie Linus Ullmark (15-1-0, 1.82 GAA, .939 save percentage and two shutouts) is leading the Vezina Trophy race. Defenseman Charlie McAvoy back from injury has been a huge boost and center David Krejci has 20 points (eight goals, 12 assists) in 22 games in his return to the NHL after playing in his native Czech Republic last season. Boston will also be seeking revenge following a 4-3 shootout loss to Vegas on Monday.
The Golden Knights (19-8-1) started hot out of the gate with center Jack Eichel and forward Mark Stone healthy. Eichel has missed two games with a lower-body injury, and defenseman
Alex Pietrangelo
is out indefinitely because of a family illness. But Vegas has been well balanced this season and the goaltending of Logan Thompson (13-6-0, 2.68 GAA, .918 save percentage, two shutouts) and Adin Hill (6-2-1, 2.55 GAA, .908 save percentage) has been great. I think coach Bruce Cassidy deserves credit for the job he has done in his first season with the Golden Knights.