Pluses, minuses for Lightning-Capitals, Flames-Ducks

NHL Network and ESPN analyst Kevin Weekes will offer his pluses and minuses for big games each week throughout the season.

The Tampa Bay Lightning (43-19-7) visit the Washington Capitals (37-22-10) at Capital One Arena on Wednesday (7:30 p.m. ET; TNT, TVAS, NHL LIVE).
Then the Calgary Flames (41-19-9) visit the Anaheim Ducks (28-31-12) at Honda Center (10 p.m. ET; TNT, SN1, SNW, NHL LIVE).
Here's my breakdown of the games.

Lightning

Pluses: They look no worse for wear after playing in the Stanley Cup Final each of the past two seasons. Steven Stamkos, Victor Hedman, Brayden Point and Nikita Kucherov continue to lead the way offensively. Andrei Vasilevskiy has given them great goaltending (35-15-4, 2.43 goals-against average, .917 save percentage), but getting him some rest down the stretch and playing Brian Elliott will help. Forward Brandon Hagel, who was acquired in trade with the Chicago Blackhawks on March 18, has already paid dividends for them (two goals).
Minuses:They have lost two straight, including allowing six goals in a 6-2 loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs on Monday. Ryan McDonagh is still out with an upper-body injury, having missed the past six games. He's a big presence on defense when he is out there, whether it's on the penalty kill or blocking shots.

Capitals

Pluses: Alex Ovechkin is among the NHL leaders in goals (42) and has had a great season, with 79 points. Nicklas Backstrom has played great since he returned from injury, and Evgeny Kuznetsov is having a nice bounce-back season, with 66 points (22 goals, 44 assists) in 66 games after having 29 points (nine goals, 20 assists) in 41 games last season. Vitek Vanecek likely was viewed as the backup entering the season but has started 34 games (2.60 GAA, .911 save percentage) and has better numbers than Ilya Samsonov (2.95 GAA, .899 save percentage in 36 games, 31 starts).
Minuses: They have lost four of the past six games and have a poor home record (16-15-5), including losing six straight from Jan. 24 to Feb. 28. The Capitals also rank 21st on the power play (19.4 percent), which is surprising considering the talent they have. They haven't looked like the same team as in years past; they have finished in the top two in the division in the past seven seasons, a streak that likely will end.

Flames

Pluses: Calgary is a complete team this year and can play any way you want. It is good offensively -- four players have scored at least 30 goals (Elias Lindholm, 35; Johnny Gaudreau, 34; Matthew Tkachuk, 32; Andrew Mangiapane, 30) -- and defensively, having allowed the second-fewest goals per game entering Wednesday (2.49). They also have gotten great goaltending from Jacob Markstrom, who leads the NHL with nine shutouts. Darryl Sutter should be a favorite for the Jack Adams Award as coach of the year.
Minuses: There are very few weaknesses here, although the Flames lost three games in a row before a 3-2 win at the Los Angeles Kings on Monday. I think this team is built for the Stanley Cup Playoffs and I expect them to make a run.

Ducks

Pluses: They got off to a great start, going 10-4-3, but were unable to sustain that early-season success. I have loved what I've seen out of the young kids. Troy Terry has scored 31 goals, Trevor Zegras has scored 50 points (17 goals, 33 assists) and is must-watch TV every night he plays. Jamie Drysdale is going to be an impactful defenseman in the NHL for years to come. Ryan Getzlaf, who announced Tuesday that he will retire at the end of the season, has been a great leader on and off the ice for them.
Minuses: The Ducks have struggled in the second half, including an 11-game skid (0-8-3) that ended with a 5-0 win at the Arizona Coyotes on Friday. The future is bright if they can make some moves, but they have been in this rebuild for a while.