Pluses, minuses for Lightning-Rangers, Wild-Blackhawks

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

The Tampa Bay Lightning (27-18-5) visit the New York Rangers (31-16-3) at Madison Square Garden on Wednesday (7 p.m. ET; MAX, TNT, TVAS). Then the Minnesota Wild (21-23-5) play the Chicago Blackhawks (14-34-2) at United Center (9:30 p.m. ET; MAX, TNT, SN360, TVAS).

Here's my breakdown of the games.

Lightning

Pluses: The Lightning were better before the All-Star break, winning three straight and eight of nine (8-1-0), and are starting to find their groove. They are scoring more, with at least five goals in five of their past seven games. Andrei Vasilevskiy has a 2.85 goals-against average and .899 save percentage, each the worst numbers of his 10-season NHL career, but he gives the Lightning a chance to win every night. I still think they will get into the Stanley Cup Playoffs, and even if it is as a wild card, they're a team that has been to the Cup Final three times in the past four seasons and knows how to win. The Lightning will also get back defensemen Mikhail Sergachev, who missed 17 games with a foot injury, and Erik Cernak, who missed seven games with an upper-body injury.

Minuses: They're beginning a four-game road trip with a tough back to back against the Rangers and New York Islanders, and they're 10-13-2 on the road. Also, they have allowed at least three goals in six of the past 10 games, so while they can score, they have also been allowing a lot of chances and goals.

Rangers

Pluses: New York is coming off a 2-1 overtime win against the Colorado Avalanche on Monday. Jonathan Quick (11-4-2, 2.35 GAA, .918 save percentage), who will start his third straight game, has been great all season. His numbers actually are better than Igor Shesterkin (19-12-1, 2.86 GAA, .899 save percentage), who coach Peter Laviolette said will get more time working with goaltending coach Benoit Allaire. Artemi Panarin is having another great season and is on pace for his first 100-point NHL season. The Rangers are more balanced now with six players with at least 30 points. And when they are at their best, their forecheck is good and they play good team defense.

Minuses: The power play was ranked first in the NHL earlier in the season but they've gone 0-for-9 in their past four games and haven't scored a man-advantage goal in seven of the past 10 games. Other than that, they've been fairly consistent this season.

Wild

Pluses: I have to reiterate what I previously said about defenseman Brock Faber. He reminds me of Charlie McAvoy of the Bruins in his skating, moving and stature. He's been great for the Wild and is someone to keep an eye on in the Calder Trophy race who hasn't been getting as much appreciation as some other rookies. Plus they still have forwards Kirill Kaprizov, Joel Eriksson Ek and Mats Zuccarello who lead them offensively and can take over games.

Minuses: Every game is a must-win game for them. They are outside of a playoff spot now and have to string some wins together to get back into it. After this game, they play the Pittsburgh Penguins, Vegas Golden Knights, Vancouver Canucks and Winnipeg Jets in a six-game span, all teams in or near a playoff spot. The penalty kill is 30th in the NHL (73.5 percent). Since coach John Hynes took over Nov. 27, the Wild are 16-13-1, but started 11-3-0, meaning they are 5-10-1 since that start, so they haven't been able to put it together.

Blackhawks

Pluses: The good news is they will get back forward Tyler Johnson, who has been out since Dec. 31 because of an injury to his right foot. As coach Luke Richardson noted Tuesday, Johnson can play anywhere in the lineup and can be used at center if they need a spark. I know their record is what it is, but they are competing hard and I anticipate we will see forward Connor Bedard back sooner than later.

Minuses: It's been a tough go for them this season, especially since Bedard went out of the lineup because of a broken jaw sustained Jan. 5. Chicago has lost four games in a row, including being shutout in three of them, and have been shutout four times in the past six games. They're tied with the San Jose Sharks for last in the League in goals per game (2.08), and they are 32nd on the power play (12.4 percent).