Pluses, minuses for Lightning-Sabres, Avalanche-Kraken

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

The Tampa Bay Lightning (1-2-0) visit the Buffalo Sabres (0-2-0) at KeyBank Center on Tuesday (7:30 p.m. ET; ESPN). Then the Seattle Kraken (0-2-1) host the Colorado Avalanche (2-0-0) at Climate Pledge Arena (10 p.m. ET; ESPN, SNP).

Here's my breakdown of the games.

Lightning

Pluses: The good news for them is that the offense has been there in the first three games of the season. They've scored 11 goals and part of their success has been on the power play, which is 3-for-9. Victor Hedman has five points (one goal, four assists), Nikita Kucherov, Steven Stamkos, Brandon Hagel and Nicholas Paul each has two goals, and Brayden Point has three assists. Also, following this game, they'll start a five-game homestand; the Lightning were 28-8-5 at Amalie Arena last season.

Minuses: Stamkos was out for a 5-3 loss at the Ottawa Senators on Sunday because of a lower-body injury. He has four points (two goals, two assists) in two games, including three (two goals, assist) against the Detroit Red Wings on Saturday. Hopefully it is not long term because we know how important he is to the team. Obviously, it will be a challenge without injured goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy, but Jonas Johansson played well in their opener against the Nashville Predators last Tuesday (28 saves), and Matt Tompkins gave them a chance in the loss on Sunday, making 33 saves in his NHL debut.

Sabres

Pluses: The Sabres did the right thing locking up defensemen Rasmus Dahlin and Owen Power to long-term contracts, shoring up their defense for years to come. Dahlin was tied for fifth among defensemen in scoring last season with 73 points (15 goals, 58 assists) and Power was a finalist for the Calder Trophy as the NHL rookie of the year. I love how young and skilled they are and play an up-tempo game. Tage Thompson (47 goals, 94 points), Jeff Skinner (35 goals, 82 points), Alex Tuch (36 goals, 79 points) and Dylan Cozens (31 goals, 68 points) give the Sabres four 30-goal scorers from last season. Plus, rookie Zach Benson, the No. 13 pick in the 2023 NHL Draft, has not looked out of place so far in his first two NHL games with two assists.

Minuses: As a young team with so much offensive talent, are they committed to, or have they grasped the defensive side of the game? I think that would go a long way toward them having the best chance to make the playoffs but would also help rookie goalie Devon Levi transition to the NHL. Buffalo has lost its first two games, 5-1 to the New York Rangers on Thursday and 3-2 at the New York Islanders on Saturday. Lastly, I know it is early, but the Sabres have won just 36.0 percent of their face-offs (45-for-125). Last season, they were last in the League (45.1 percent). It goes without saying, face-offs can be key to gaining possession and creating chances.

Avalanche

Pluses: It was nice for them to get defenseman Devon Toews signed to a seven-year contract last week. He has been a big part of this team even if he is sometimes overshadowed by Cale Makar from people on the outside looking in. He could have been one of the top free agents after the season. In goal, Alexandar Georgiev deserves a lot of credit for transitioning to a starter as well as he has, tying for the NHL lead in wins last season (40). He should be in line to get the majority of the starts again this season, as long as he stays healthy. It also helps when you have Nathan MacKinnon, a perennial Hart Trophy finalist, Makar, a perennial Norris Trophy finalist and Mikko Rantanen, who scored 55 goals last season. Colorado also added center Ryan Johansen and forward Ross Colton this offseason, as well as forward Jonathan Drouin, who played with MacKinnon in juniors so that could be something to watch.

Minuses: I really don't have any negatives for them. It is tough that they must go another season without injured captain, Gabriel Landeskog, but they had 51 wins and won the Central Division last season despite all their injuries.

Kraken

Pluses: We know the big steps they took last season, coming within one game of the Western Conference Final in their second NHL season but it's been a tough start to the season; they’ve been outscored 9-2 in three straight losses. It doesn't get any easier with their next three games against the Avalanche, Carolina Hurricanes and Rangers, all playoff teams from a season ago. I do like the young talent they have, including center Matty Beniers, who won the Calder Trophy last season, and Tye Kartye, who made a name for himself in the playoffs last season.

Minuses: I know they have a lot of depth as they showed last season, especially in the playoffs when they had 18 different players score at least one goal, but I am concerned that they may not have enough scoring. Jared McCann led them with an NHL career-high 40 goals last season, which could be a problem since he is not known for his goal scoring and you should have other guys on the team leading in that category. Last year, they really were able to identify how they wanted to play and committed to defending. The top defensemen pairing of Adam Larsson and Vince Dunn were excellent; they need to get back to defending.