Bruins-Lightning, Kings-Wild highlight weekend schedule

Each Friday, NHL Network and ESPN analyst Kevin Weekes will provide readers with games he is looking forward to that weekend:

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Boston Bruins at Tampa Bay Lightning (Friday, 7 p.m. ET; NHLN, SN1, TVAS, BSSUN, NESN, NHL LIVE)

The Bruins will be without forward David Pastrnak for the second straight game because of an undisclosed injury and also will be without defenseman Hampus Lindholm, who sustained a lower-body injury against the Detroit Red Wings on Tuesday. They're 10-3-0 in their past 13 games and have started to distribute their production offensively, not just relying on Pastrnak, Brad Marchand and Patrice Bergeron. Jeremy Swayman and Linus Ullmark have been a good goalie tandem for the Bruins, who definitely are a contender.
The Lightning are having a bit of a downtrend right now, going 6-8-1 in their past 15 games. They've played a lot of hockey the last few seasons and maybe it's starting to catch up with them, as they have looked loose in terms of their coverage lately. This is a big game in the standings, as each team is competing with the Toronto Maple Leafs for the No. 2 seed in the Atlantic Division, along with home ice in the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. They have too much talent offensively and defensively, so I think their slide will end soon.

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Washington Capitals at Pittsburgh Penguins (Saturday, 3 p.m. ET; ESPN+, ABC, SN1, NHL LIVE)

Alex Ovechkin and Sidney Crosby are two of the best that have ever played. Each was a No. 1 pick in the NHL draft who has scored more than 1,400 points. Crosby didn't play in a 3-0 loss to the New York Rangers on Thursday because of an illness, but hopefully he is back for this one.
For the Capitals, Tom Wilson is the best power forward in the game. He has scored 47 points (21 goals, 26 assists) and has 85 penalty minutes in 66 games and has been a presence on the power play. Defenseman John Carlson scored four points (two goals, two assists) in a 4-3 win against the Tampa Bay Lightning on Wednesday and has continued to be one of the best in the NHL at the position. The Penguins have lost three straight. Even if they are without Crosby, they still have forwards Jake Guentzel, Evgeni Malkin and Bryan Rust and defenseman Kris Letang to pick up the slack offensively. Goalie Tristan Jarry has been great in net.

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Los Angeles Kings at Minnesota Wild (Sunday, 5 p.m. ET; BSNX, BSWIX, KCOP-13, ESPN+, NHL LIVE)

The Kings are not a lock to make the playoffs but have put themselves in good position. Forward Anze Kopitar remains as productive as ever, leading them with 61 points (18 goals, 43 assists) in 73 games, but forwards Phillip Danault (43 points), Viktor Arvidsson (42 points) and Adrian Kempe (31 goals) have stepped up. Defenseman Drew Doughty remains out with an injury but rookie Sean Durzi (25 points) has been impressive. With Jonathan Quick and Cal Petersen performing above average in goal, the Kings have become a complete team in a short time.
Forward Kirill Kaprizov already has set the Wild record for points in a season (87) and still has time to increase that total and break the 100-point barrier. Teammates love him and respect him, and he's formed great chemistry with forward Mats Zuccarello (71 points). Goalies Marc-Andre Fleury and Cam Talbot have formed a great 1-2 punch in net. The Wild have plenty of talent, but I think they still are missing a high point-scoring defenseman. Minnesota is a great home team (24-7-2) and is 7-0-1 in their past eight at Xcel Energy Center.