Panthers-Wild, Lightning-Avalanche 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:

Florida Panthers at Minnesota Wild (Saturday, 2 p.m. ET; NHLN, SN, BSN, BSWI, BSFL, NHL LIVE)

Sergei Bobrovsky is back to being an elite goalie and has the Panthers as a legitimate Stanley Cup contender.
Aaron Ekblad
has emerged as a contender for the Norris Trophy, voted to the best defensemen in the NHL. Prior to being placed into NHL COVID-19 protocol Thursday, he was tied for third among defensemen with eight goals and eighth with 24 points. Forward Jonathan Huberdeau, who leads the Panthers and is tied for sixth in the NHL with 33 points (10 goals, 23 assists) in 29 games, quietly is becoming a star. Florida will look to get back on track after a 4-1 loss to the Los Angeles Kings on Thursday, their third straight defeat.
Kirill Kaprizov leads the Wild and is tied for sixth in the NHL with 33 points (11 goals, 22 assists) in 29 games and is Minnesota's best offensive weapon. But the support players like forwards Ryan Hartman (24 points) and Marcus Foligno (19 points) have stepped up and are a big reason why the Wild are second in the League in goals per game (3.62). Goalie Cam Talbot made 38 saves in a 3-2 shootout loss against the Buffalo Sabres on Thursday but is 6-1-1 with a 2.19 goals-against average and .939 save percentage in his past eight games.

Tampa Bay Lightning at Colorado Avalanche (Saturday, 9 p.m. ET; ALT, BSSUN, ESPN+, NHL LIVE)

The Lightning's 2-1 win against the Ottawa Senators on Thursday moved them into a tie for first place in the NHL standings with the Toronto Maple Leafs. Steven Stamkos leads the Lightning and is fifth in the NHL with 34 points (13 goals, 21 assists) in 28 games. Andrei Vasilevskiy (16 wins, 2.10 GAA, .928 save percentage in 23 games) and Victor Hedman (30 points, second among NHL defensemen), the past two Conn Smythe Trophy winners as most valuable player of the Stanley Cup Playoffs, continue to play at a high level. Tampa Bay is playing just fine without injured forwards Nikita Kucherov (lower body) and Brayden Point (upper body).
The Avalanche have turned things around after a poor start. They had won five straight games prior to a 5-2 loss at the Nashville Predators on Thursday and are the highest scoring team in the NHL at 4.22 goals per game. Cale Makar, who has missed time this season with injuries and entered NHL COVID-19 protocol Thursday, leads the League's defensemen with 13 goals. Forward Nazem Kadri is fourth in the NHL with 38 points (11 goals, 27 assists) in 24 games and has been their best offensive player, especially when No. 1 center Nathan MacKinnon has been out.

Nashville Predators at Carolina Hurricanes (Sunday, 5 p.m. ET; BSSO, ESPN+, NHL LIVE)

The Predators won their sixth straight game Thursday, 5-2 against the Avalanche, despite being without seven players and five coaches because of COVID-19 protocol. Defenseman Roman Josi is playing at an elite level, and goalie Juuse Saros (2.23 GAA, .925 save percentage in 23 games) has shown why the Predators had faith in him to be Pekka Rinne's replacement.
For the Hurricanes, it starts in net with Frederik Andersen. He is among the NHL leaders in wins (15, tied for second), GAA (1.98, fourth) and save percentage (.928, tied for seventh) among goalies to play at least 15 games, and he's played at a level we knew he could after some trying times with injuries when he was with the Toronto Maple Leafs. Carolina also has one of the most dynamic forward groups in the League with Sebastian Aho, Teuvo Teravainen and Andrei Svechnikov when all are healthy; Aho and Svechnikov are in COVID-19 protocol.