Each Friday, NHL Network and ESPN analyst Kevin Weekes will provide readers with three games he is looking forward to that weekend:
New Jersey Devils at New York Islanders (Friday, 7:30 p.m. ET; MSGSN, NHLN, MSG)
It's been a bit of a slow start for the Devils (1-1-1), but I'm still a believer. I think Timo Meier needs to be in and around the net more; the forward scored 40 goals last season and has scored at least 30 in three of his past five seasons. That's where he does damage from and I think he is too gifted a scorer to not be around the net. New Jersey has two good goalies Vitek Vanecek and Akira Schmid, and added depth with forward Tyler Toffoli. I do want to see them get to their game more consistently.
The Islanders (2-0-0) have an elite goalie in Ilya Sorokin who can win the Vezina Trophy as best in the NHL after being a finalist last season. New York also is trying to be an offensive team, but I'm not sure it has the personnel for that approach. The Islanders' strength has been defending; they've won their first two games by a combined score of 4-2. With five of their first six games at home, it's important for them to get off to a good start because every point matters; the Islanders know that too well after qualifying for the Stanley Cup Playoffs by two points last season.
Washington Capitals at Montreal Canadiens (Saturday, 7 p.m. ET; TVAS, CITY, SNE, MNMT)
It definitely has been a slow start for the Capitals (1-2-0) under new coach Spencer Carbery, one of the bright young minds in the NHL. Washington lacks team speed, so I think it needs to defend better and try to avoid an off-the-rush game. The Capitals are more of a half-ice, cycle-game kind of team with the way they're currently constructed. Captain Alex Ovechkin hasn't had a shot in goal in consecutive games, the first time that has happened in his NHL career, which has spanned 1,350 games, and he has yet to score a goal this season.
The Canadiens (1-1-1) got some bad news with center Kirby Dach being lost for the season with a torn ACL and MCL. He had two assists in two games and coach Martin St. Louis said he was off to a great start and had potential to break out this season. Center Nick Suzuki, 24, and forward Cole Caufield, 22, are two of the young pieces forming the future of this team. Center Alex Newhook, acquired in a trade with the Colorado Avalanche on June 27, has three goals in three games. Montreal is spirited, competitive and can score.
Winnipeg Jets at Edmonton Oilers (Saturday, 10 p.m. ET; CBC, SN, CITY, TVAS2)
The Jets (1-3-0) have allowed 19 goals through four games, including at least four in each. I'm curious to see what they will look like now without Gabriel Vilardi, out 4-6 weeks with a knee injury. The 24-year-old center was a key piece in the trade that sent center Pierre-Luc Dubois to the Los Angeles Kings on June 27. I think Winnipeg signing center Mark Scheifele and goalie Connor Hellebuyck to identical seven-year contracts Oct. 9 was a great move to lock them up, and it was somewhat surprising. The Jets still have a lot of talent but I want to see what style of play they take the ice with under Rick Bowness in his second year as coach and with a retooled roster.
It was definitely not the start the Oilers hoped for, losing two straight to the Vancouver Canucks by a combined 12-4, but they did rebound with a 6-1 win at the Nashville Predators on Tuesday. However, a 4-1 loss at the Philadelphia Flyers on Thursday did not keep the momentum going, putting them at 1-3-0 this season. I want to see how Edmonton settles in this season, but I still think the Oilers are up contenders. We know about centers Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl, but Edmonton showed last season they have more scoring depth beyond their big two. And I love what I've seen from defenseman Evan Bouchard; the defenseman, who turned 24 on Friday, had 40 points (eight goals, 32 assists) last season and led all defenseman in the playoffs with 17 points (four goals, 13 assists) in 12 games. I'm curious to see what happens in this game; I have a feeling it will be high-octane affair.
