Pittsburgh Penguins at Carolina Hurricanes (Friday, 7 p.m. ET; SN, BSSO, ATTSN-PT, ESPN+, NHL LIVE)
The Penguins had an impressive 5-1 win against the Tampa Bay Lightning on Thursday and get another test Friday. They have most of their forwards healthy (Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Jake Guentzel, Jeff Carter), which has been a problem at times this season. Defenseman Kris Letang is having one of the best seasons in the NHL, and goalie Tristan Jarry has been great. Lastly, they are one of the best road teams in the NHL at 19-6-3.
The Hurricanes have lost two straight (0-1-1) following a 4-0 shutout loss to the Washington Capitals on Thursday. But we know how talented that offense is with Sebastian Aho, Andrei Svechnikov and Teuvo Teravainen. The defense has taken a hit with the loss of Tony DeAngelo to injury, but the goaltending has been great with Frederik Andersen and Antti Raanta. Carolina defeated Pittsburgh 4-3 on Feb. 20 and I expect another close game.
Chicago Blackhawks at Philadelphia Flyers (Saturday, 3 p.m. ET; ABC, ESPN+, SN, NHL LIVE)
Jonathan Toews and Tyler Johnson each returned from injury in a 4-3 overtime win against the Edmonton Oilers on Thursday. Although neither had a point, they should provide a boost moving forward to take some of the offensive load off Patrick Kane and Alex DeBrincat. Marc-Andre Fleury has turned it around after a tough start to the season, and the Blackhawks have played better under coach Derek King.
It's been a tough season for the Flyers, who made plenty of moves this offseason after not making the Stanley Cup Playoffs last season. They've lost eight of nine following a 5-4 loss to the Minnesota Wild on Thursday. True, they have dealt with injuries but a lot has gone wrong for them. With the postseason out of the question, everything points back to Claude Giroux and his future. Will they Flyers move him before the March 21 Trade Deadline?
Calgary Flames at Colorado Avalanche (Saturday, 10 p.m. ET; CBC, SN, CITY, ALT, ESPN+, NHL LIVE)
The Flames have surprised most people this season. Jacob Markstrom has to be in the Vezina Trophy conversation; he leads the NHL with eight shutouts and has a 2.17 goals-against average and .925 save percentage. The top line of Johnny Gaudreau, Elias Lindholm and Matthew Tkachuk is arguably the best in the League; each has scored at least 54 points. Coach Daryl Sutter has been great for them this season and they are competing for the top spot in the Pacific Division.
The Avalanche had won four straight prior to a 2-1 loss to the Arizona Coyotes on Thursday. They're scoring the second-most goals per game in the NHL (3.93 entering Friday) and have five players with at least 50 points; no other team has more than three. The defense led by Cale Makar, Devon Toews and Samuel Girard, and goaltending with Darcy Kuemper and Pavel Francouz, has been good. Too me, they are the clear favorite for the Stanley Cup right now.
