Pluses, minuses for Wild-Stars, Golden Knights-Avalanche

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

The Minnesota Wild (17-18-4) visit the Dallas Stars (23-11-5) at American Airlines Center on Wednesday (7:30 p.m. ET; MAX, TNT). Then the Vegas Golden Knights (23-12-5) face the Colorado Avalanche (26-12-3) at Ball Arena (10 p.m. ET; MAX, TNT, ALT, SN, TVAS).

Here's my breakdown of the games.

Wild

Pluses: Forward Marcus Foligno, a big piece of their team, returned for a 4-0 loss to the Stars on Monday after missing three games with a lower-body injury, and hopefully he can add some juice to their lineup. With goalie Filip Gustavsson injured, Jesper Wallstedt will make his NHL debut Wednesday. One significant bright spot is defenseman Brock Faber, who looks like Charlie McAvoy of the Boston Bruins but is not as physical. Faber does play a similar style, though, and like McAvoy is playing big minutes at a young age (21).

Minuses: They're without huge contributors in forward and leading scorer Kirill Kaprizov), defenseman Jared Spurgeon and Gustavsson) -- each a key player at his position. After a 7-1-0 stretch, the Wild are 1-5-0 in their past six, outscored 21-8. It's tough when the goals aren't coming but being allowed, particularly on special teams; Minnesota ranks 30th in the NHL on the penalty kill (72.4 percent).

Stars

Pluses: Jake Oettinger is getting closer to returning after Dallas' No. 1 goalie has missed 11 games with a lower-body injury; goalie Scott Wedgewood played admirably in his absence (6-3-2, 3.11 goals-against average, .886 save percentage with Oettinger out) and will get the start Wednesday. Forward Jason Robertson has started to regain his scoring touch and leads the Stars with with 40 points (14 goals, 26 assists) in 39 games, including 13 points (five goals, eight assists) in his past 10 games. They have seven players with at least 10 goals, and I love the offseason signing of center Matt Duchene, who is tied for second on Dallas in scoring with 35 points (11 goals, 24 assists) in 38 games. To me, the Stars are one of the top Stanley Cup contenders in the Western Conference.

Minuses: They're without Miro Heiskanen, who is week to week with a lower-body injury. The defenseman leads Dallas in ice time per game (25:03) and plays in all situations. It's not good news for the Stars, but does give them a chance to see what they have in some of their other young defensemen. Dallas is 12-7-2 at home, but has lost its past three at American Airlines Center (0-2-1).

Golden Knights

Pluses: Goalie Adin Hillwill return Wednesday, which should be a big boost. He's 10-2-2 with a 1.93 GAA, .933 save percentage and two shutouts in 15 games this season but has missed eight games with a lower-body injury; Vegas is 2-6-0 in that stretch. Despite their recent hiccups, the Golden Knights still have most of their defending Cup championship team intact, so they have the experience and know how to get it done when it matters. And of their 23 skaters to play more than two games this season, every single one has a goal.

Minuses: They're still slumping offensively, with eight goals in five games prior to a 5-2 win against the New York Islanders on Saturday. Since the losing streak began, they're 28th in the NHL on the power play (13.0 percent) and last on the penalty kill (61.5 percent).

Avalanche

Pluses: Nathan MacKinnon has a point in 22 straight home games and is the League MVP for me right now. The center has dominated in every aspect of the game, has been in the top five for Hart Trophy voting four of the past six seasons, and this one should be no different. How about goalie Alexandar Georgiev, who tied for the League lead with 40 wins last season and is first this season with 22? Many people questioned that trade with the New York Rangers on July 7, 2022, but it ended up being a great move for Colorado.

Minuses: This will be a revenge game the Avalanche, who lost 7-0 at the Golden Knights on Nov. 4, and you can bet that hasn't been forgotten. Obviously Colorado is one of the top teams in the league, but I think it could use an experienced backup goalie and a potential second-line center to really bolster the roster. Someone like Adam Henrique of the Anaheim Ducks could be a nice fit.