Pluses, minuses for Islanders-Rangers, Devils-Golden Knights

NHL Network and ESPN analyst Kevin Weekes will offer his thoughts for big games each week throughout the season.

The New York Islanders (29-22-15) continue their playoff push when they visit the New York Rangers (44-19-4) at Madison Square Garden on Sunday (1 p.m. ET; TNT, MAX, SN360, TVAS). Then, the New Jersey Devils (32-31-4) play the Vegas Golden Knights (35-24-7) at T-Mobile Arena (3:30 p.m. ET; TNT, MAX, SN360).

Here's my breakdown of the games.

Islanders

Pluses: Noah Dobson has to be in the Norris Trophy race. He has 65 points (eight goals, 57 assists) and is plus-14. He trails only Mathew Barzal for points on the team (69). Goalies Ilya Sorokin and Semyon Varlamov keep them in every game. Patrick Roy has done a great job since taking over as coach and has them playing better. During their recent six-game winning streak, they outscored opponents 30-11 to climb back into the wild card race.

Minuses: They have lost three straight games, including 4-3 in overtime to the Ottawa Senators on Saturday after getting shut out their previous two games. The Islanders are also playing the Rangers for the first time since blowing a three-goal lead and losing 6-5 in overtime in the 2024 Navy Federal Credit Union Stadium Series last month. They need wins and points, and it won't be easy against one of the top teams in the NHL this season.

Rangers

Pluses: Before allowing five goals in a 6-3 loss at the Tampa Bay Lightning on Thursday, Igor Shesterkin had been on fire, going 9-1-1 with a 1.63 goals-against average, .951 save percentage and three shutouts since Feb. 9. Alex Wennberg and Jack Roslovic, who were acquired prior to the Trade Deadline, have had an impact already and give the Rangers added forward depth. Artemi Panarin is quietly having an MVP-type season with 38 goals and 93 points after he had five points in a 7-4 win at the Pittsburgh Penguins on Saturday.

Minuses: They are without captain Jacob Trouba for a few weeks because of a lower-body injury. We know the kind of impact, especially physical that he brings, leading them in blocked shots (170) and ranking second in hits (164) and penalty minutes (52).

Devils

Pluses: They revamped their crease, adding Jake Allen and Kaapo Kahkonen prior to the Trade Deadline last week. After allowing two goals on his first three shots, Allen made 34 saves in a row in a 6-2 win against the Dallas Stars on Thursday. Kahkonen also played well in his Devils debut, making 23 saves in 3-1 loss at the Rangers on Monday. Timo Meier has eight goals in March, and the Devils are still in the playoff race, six points out, although they have several teams they'd have to pass.

Minuses: After starting out on fire, the power play has slipped, and ranks 14th (21.8 percent). The Devils also have allowed the first goal 49 times in 67 games, more than any other team in the NHL. And they have to play better defense, allowing 3.46 goals per game (27th). They have underachieved after being a surprise team last season, although they have been hurt by injuries this season to centers Nico Hischier and Jack Hughes, and defenseman Dougie Hamilton and Jonas Siegenthaler. And in a game they had to win, they lost 4-1 at the Arizona Coyotes on Saturday.

Golden Knights

Pluses: Jack Eichel is back and healthy. Prior to a 4-1 loss at the Calgary Flames on Thursday, he had back-to back three-point games (one goal, five assists) and is third on the team with 50 points (20 goals, 30 assists) despite being limited to 47 games. Adding defenseman Noah Hanifin and forwards Anthony Mantha and Tomas Hertl (who isn't quite ready to return yet) prior to the Deadline was big for them. Jonathan Marchessault leads them with 58 points (37 goals, 21 assists) and has set a career high in goals, including five in his past three games.

Minuses: Being without their captain Mark Stone for at least the rest of the regular season with a lacerated spleen is a very tough loss. He was tied for the team lead in points (53) at the time of the injury, and we saw what he did for them in the playoffs last season. Vegas is 4-9-1 in its past 14 games and has slipped to the second wild card in the West, only three points ahead of the Minnesota Wild.