New York Rangers at Pittsburgh Penguins (Saturday, 3 p.m. ET; ABC, ESPN+, SN, SN1, NHL LIVE)
This should be a really good game between two of the top teams in the Metropolitan Division. Each has a goalie is in the race for the Vezina Trophy, voted best at the position. Igor Shesterkin (25-5-3, 1.98 goals-against average, .940 save percentage) has been the backbone for the Rangers and Tristan Jarry (25-11-6, 2.38 GAA, .919 save percentage) has been a star for the Penguins. The Rangers are led by forward Chris Kreider, who is third in the NHL with 34 goals and could score 50, Artemi Panarin (55 points), Mika Zibanejad (53 points), and Adam Fox (49 points). The Penguins are finally healthy after Sidney Crosby, Jake Guentzel and Evgeni Malkin each missed time because of injuries earlier this season.
Kris Letang continues to be an elite defenseman; he has scored 47 points (six goals, 41 assists) and is plus-17 in 49 games for the Penguins. K'Andre Miller has flourished on defense for the Rangers with his partner Jacob Trouba. The Penguins are coming off a 6-1 loss to the New Jersey Devils on Thursday and have been outscored 14-5 during a three-game losing streak; the Rangers are 5-0-1 in their past six games after a 4-1 win against the Washington Capitals on Thursday.
Colorado Avalanche at Vegas Golden Knights (Saturday, 10 p.m. ET; ATTSN-RM, ALT, ESPN+, NHL LIVE)
The Avalanche are 3-2-0 in their past five games after going 22-1-2 in the previous 25. The good news is Nathan MacKinnon is expected to be back after not playing in a 5-2 win against the Detroit Red Wings on Wednesday because of a lower-body injury. Nazem Kadri (64 points), Mikko Rantanen (61 points), Cale Makar (53 points) and Gabriel Landeskog (51) have each scored more than 50 points for Colorado, which is 21-3-2 at Ball Arena, but just 16-7-2 on the road. Devon Toews and Samuel Girard also have improved the defense with their strong play.
The Golden Knights begin a three-game homestand and it looks like center Jack Eichel is more comfortable after playing three games with them and scoring three points (one goal, two assists). Who's going to play in net? With Robin Lehner injured, Laurent Brossoit has started and rookie Logan Thompson has been backing up. If Lehner's injury is long term, do the Golden Knights make a move prior to the NHL Trade Deadline or stick with Brossoit? Either way, this is a preview of the Western Conference Final in my mind.
Edmonton Oilers at Carolina Hurricanes (Sunday, 1 p.m. ET; NHLN, SN, BSSO, NHL LIVE)
The Oilers have played much better under Jay Woodcroft, winning five straight after he was named coach before losing their past two games to the Minnesota Wild and Tampa Bay Lightning. They continue to play elite teams this weekend, with the Florida Panthers on Saturday and Hurricanes on Sunday. Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl lead the offense, but I'd like to see more from the secondary players.
The Hurricanes are one of the deepest teams in the League on offense and defense. Led by Sebastian Aho, Andrei Svechnikov and Teuvo Teravainen, they rank in the top 10 in goals per game. The defense is very good, although it took a blow with the news that defenseman Tony DeAngelo will be out a month with an injury. Frederik Andersen is in the Vezina Trophy conversation and is a big reason the Hurricanes have allowed the fewest goals in the League.
