Pluses, minuses for Bruins-Panthers, Golden Knights-Stars

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

It's a big slate Wednesday with 14 games and 28 of the 32 NHL teams in action, including a doubleheader on TNT and MAX. First, the Boston Bruins (13-1-3) visit the Florida Panthers (12-5-1) at Amerant Bank Arena (7 p.m. ET) in a rematch of the Eastern Conference First Round last season. Then the Vegas Golden Knights (13-4-2) visit the Dallas Stars (12-4-1) at American Airlines Center (9:30 p.m. ET) in a battle of the two first-place teams in the Western Conference divisions. 

Here's my breakdown of the games.

Bruins

Pluses: Even after losing Patrice Bergeron and David Krejci to retirement, they've played well, led by David Pastrnak, Brad Marchand and Charlie McAvoy. The addition of forward James van Riemsdyk has paid off; he has 13 points (five goals, eight assists) in 17 games. Linus Ullmark won the Vezina Trophy last season as the top goalie in the NHL and he and Jeremy Swayman are two of the top goalies in the League this season. Pavel Zacha has stepped into the top center role and has 14 points (seven goals, seven assists) in 17 games. They're ahead of last season's historic pace, when they set NHL single-season records for wins (65) and points (135) which tells you something about the way this team has been built.

Minuses: The Bruins have points in 16 of their 17 games this season, losing in regulation once. And each time they have lost, they've won their next game. We will see if that continues Wednesday following a 5-4 overtime loss at the Tampa Bay Lightning on Monday when they allowed the tying goal with five seconds left in the third period. But I really don't have anything negative that I see in their game.

Panthers

Pluses: They have really started to hit their stride after a slow start, winning seven of eight. They got defensemen Aaron Ekblad and Brandon Montour back from injuries this past weekend, which will only strengthen them offensively and defensively. The offseason acquisitions of veteran defensemen Oliver Ekman-Larsson and Dmitry Kulikov have paid off. Sam Reinhart is leading them in goals (13) and points (25). The 13 goals are tied for third in the NHL. I don't know how many people expected them to be competitive after losing some pieces this offseason, but they have been.

Minuses: Center Aleksander Barkov didn't play in a 5-3 win against the Edmonton Oilers on Monday because of an apparent knee injury and it's unclear if he'll be in the lineup for this one. Obviously as the captain and him playing in all situations, he was missed and will be missed if he can't play.

Golden Knights

Pluses: Adin Hill and Logan Thompson have both been excellent, with each having a goals-against average under 2.50 and a save percentage of .920 or better. Though William Karlsson (20 points), Jack Eichel (19 points), Mark Stone (18 points) and Shea Theodore (18 points) have led the way offensively, everyone has chipped in with 20 of 23 skaters who have played a game for them scoring at least one goal this season. The fact that they have not had a dropoff after winning the Cup and are still playing like they did during the playoffs shows they're on a mission to repeat.  

Minuses: They’re 2-4-1 in their past seven games following an 11-0-1 start. It's definitely not time to hit the panic button but this game against the Stars, who they eliminated in the Western Conference Final last year, will be a big test.

Stars

Pluses: They finally seem to have more balance beyond the top line of Joe Pavelski, Roope Hintz and Jason Robertson having added Matt Duchene this offseason and having Tyler Seguin  playing on the third line. Duchene has 15 points (six goals, nine assists) in 16 games including 10 points (four goals, six assists) in his past six games, and Seguin has 14 points (six goals, eight assists) in 17 games. Jake Oettinger (2.50 goals-against average, .920 save percentage) continues to show why he's one of the best goalies in the League. The Stars' power play is clicking at 21.4 percent, which is 13th in the NHL, and they rank third in the NHL on the penalty kill (88.1 percent).

Minuses: In a big test against the Colorado Avalanche on Saturday, they let a 3-0 lead slip away, allowing six straight goals, including four in the third, of a 6-4 loss. Those were big points that could be the difference between having home ice in the playoffs when it counts. They did follow that up with a 6-3 win against the New York Rangers, who were 10-0-1 in their previous 11 games, but they can't let up at all against Vegas, especially if they take a lead like they did against Colorado.