Each Friday, NHL Network and ESPN analyst Kevin Weekes will provide readers with three games he is looking forward to that weekend:
Minnesota Wild at Edmonton Oilers (Friday, 9 p.m. ET; TVAS, SNW, BSN, BSWIX)
The Wild (9-11-4) had won four in a row under new coach John Hynes prior to a 2-0 loss at the Vancouver Canucks on Thursday, and the is really paying off. I'm somewhat surprised forward Mats Zuccarello is Minnesota in scoring (27 points; six goals, 21 assists) ahead of forward Kirill Kaprizov (23 points; eight goals, 15 assists). I do like what I've seen from rookie center Marco Rossi (15 points; eight goals, seven assists) and rookie defenseman Brock Faber (10 points; one goal, nine assists). The Wild have held opponents to seven goals in their past five games, which can't help but boost the confidence of goalies Filip Gustavsson and Marc-Andre Fleury. But because of their slow start, they do have a lot of ground to make up to climb back up the standings and into the playoff race.
The Oilers (10-12-1) are on a season-long five-game winning streak, outscoring the opposition 26-7. They also have a new coach in Kris Knoblauch, though I don't attribute the bump as much to the coaching change as I do to the fact they have been much better defensively, allowing eight goals during the winning streak. Captain Connor McDavid is back to his MVP self with 16 points (two goals, 14 assists) in that span and goalie Stuart Skinner has a 1.58 goals-against average and .943 save percentage in the same stretch. Edmonton started the season 1-4-1 at home but have won The Oilers started out poorly at home but have won five straight at Rogers Place, and this will be the second of a six-game homestand.
Arizona Coyotes at Boston Bruins (Saturday, 1 p.m. ET; SCRIPPS, NHLN, NESN, SN)
The Coyotes (13-10-2) defeated the six most recent Stanley Cup champions in each of their past five games prior to a 4-1 loss against the Philadelphia Flyers on Thursday. Goalie Connor Ingram has to be among the surprises this season (11-4-0, 2.35 GAA, .925 save percentage) for perhaps the most surprising team this season. Forward Clayton Keller (24 points; eight goals, 16 assists in 25 games) is putting up numbers that are Patrick Kane-esque, but he doesn't get as much notoriety as he should. I'm also looking forward to seeing rookie center Logan Cooley, who may not have as many points as some other rookies (14; three goals, 11 assists) but has had a big impact on Arizona's turnaround.
The Bruins are the Bruins, and I expect them to bounce back against the Coyotes after a 3-1 loss to the Buffalo Sabres on Thursday. Boston (17-5-3) had lost three straight before winning three straight prior to Thursday. The Bruins are one of the best defensive teams in the NHL with excellent goaltending and a great penalty kill. I won't talk about their stars, who we all know, but I've been impressed with centers Charlie Coyle (20 points; nine goals, 11 assists in 25 games) and Pavel Zacha (19 points; eight goals, 11 assists in 25 games), who have provided unexpected offense. Boston also has had Arizona's number the past several seasons, winning 18 straight (going back to Dec. 28, 2011) prior to a 4-3 loss last season.
Los Angeles Kings at New York Rangers (Sunday, 7 p.m. ET; BSW, MSG)
The Kings continued their roll and made history, winning their NHL-record 11th straight road game to start the season in a 4-0 win against the Montreal Canadiens on Thursday. They're 16-4-3, allowing the fewest goals in the League (2.22). Cam Talbot is the Vezina Trophy favorite, voted best goalie in th League, right now; he's 12-4-1 with a 1.84 GAA, .933 save percentage and two shutouts. Los Angeles has five players (center Anze Kopitar, forwards Adrian Kempe, Kevin Fiala, Trevor Moore and Quinton Byfield) with at least 21 points and 10 skaters with at least five goals. This will be a huge game between two of the best teams in the NHL this season and I'm anxious to see if Los Angeles, which is 5-4-3 at home, can get a big win against New York, which is 10-3-1 on the road.
The Rangers (18-5-1) have the best points percentage in the NHL (.771) entering Friday. This will be the second half of a back-to-back after they play at the Washington Capitals on Saturday. New York is coming off a 6-2 loss at the Ottawa Senators on Tuesday but has not lost consecutive games this season. Jonathan Quick is 7-0-1 with a 2.34 GAA, .918 save percentage and two shutouts, and has played less like a 37-year-old backup goalie and more like a starter. They got defenseman Adam Fox back after he missed 10 games with a lower-body injury and have gotten off to a great start under new coach Peter Laviolette after there were questions entering the season on what to expect from them.
