Lightning-Panthers, Flyers-Hurricanes highlight weekend schedule

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

Philadelphia Flyers at Carolina Hurricanes (Friday, 7 p.m. ET; BSSO, NBCSP, ESPN+, NHL LIVE)

The Hurricanes (10-1-0) responded to their first loss of the season (5-2 at the Florida Panthers on Saturday) with a 2-1 overtime win against the Tampa Bay Lightning on Tuesday. They traded goalie Alex Nedeljkovic in the offseason and lost goalies Petr Mrazek and James Reimer and defenseman Dougie Hamilton to free agency but haven't missed a beat. They signed free agent goalie Frederik Andersen, who is 9-1-0 with a 1.74 goals-against average and .939 save percentage. Forwards Andrei Svechnikov (15 points) and Sebastian Aho (12 points) are among five Hurricanes players with at least 10 points.
The Flyers (6-3-2) lost 3-0 to the Toronto Maple Leafs on Wednesday and have a tough task playing at the Hurricanes. Philadelphia has plenty of new players this season, adding forwards Cam Atkinson and Derick Brassard, defensemen Keith Yandle, Ryan Ellis and Rasmus Ristolainen, and backup goalie Martin Jones. Each has contributed this season. The Flyers are allowing an average of 2.45 goals against per game, which is fourth-best in the NHL, and could provide the Hurricanes with a real challenge.

Florida Panthers at Tampa Bay Lightning (Saturday, 7 p.m. ET; BSSUN, BSFL, ESPN+. NHL LIVE)

The Panthers (10-2-2) are showing they can play on the same level as the two-time defending Stanley Cup champion Lightning. Sergei Bobrovsky has been great this season (6-0-1, 1.73 GAA, .946 save percentage) after a few subpar seasons by his standards. He and Lightning counterpart Andrei Vasilevskiy (5-2-3, 2.35 GAA, .920 save percentage) likely will be the top two goalies for the Russian Olympic Committee for the 2022 Beijing Olympics.
In addition to the goalies, this matchup has lots of star power with forwards Aleksander Barkov, Jonathan Huberdeau and Aaron Ekblad for the Panthers and forwards Steven Stamkos, Brayden Point and defenseman Victor Hedman for the Lightning. The Lightning (6-3-3) are a different team without their third line, which consisted of Barclay Goodrow (traded), Yanni Gourde (selected in the 2021 NHL Expansion Draft) and Blake Coleman (free agency), and forward Nikita Kucherov, who is out with a lower-body injury, but they always seem to rise to the occasion when needed.

New Jersey Devils at New York Rangers (Sunday, 7 p.m. ET; MSG, MSG+, ESPN+, NHL LIVE)

The Devils (7-3-2) have been getting contributions from their offseason acquisitions. I mentioned Hamilton, who scored in a 4-0 win against the New York Islanders on Thursday. He and Ryan Graves have been excellent as the first defense pair. Jonathan Bernier did well when goalie Mackenzie Blackwood was out. Blackwood made 42 saves in the win against the Islanders and is 2-0-1 with a 2.00 GAA and .945 save percentage. Rookie forward Dawson Mercer has scored eight points (four goals, four assists) in 12 games.
For the Rangers (7-3-3), goalie Igor Shesterkin (6-2-2, 2.37 GAA, .931) is off to a great start. He made 42 saves in a 4-3 win against the Panthers on Monday and is 8-0-0 in the NHL when facing 40 or more shots. The Rangers, who play at the Columbus Blue Jackets on Saturday, have more intensity and are harder to play against this season under new coach Gerard Gallant. Forward Chris Kreider is having a monster season (12 points in 13 games) but often gets overlooked because of forwards Artemi Panarin, Mika Zibanejad and defenseman Adam Fox.