Pluses, minuses for Capitals-Oilers, Canadiens-Canucks

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

The Washington Capitals (31-18-9) play the Edmonton Oilers (30-23-4) at Rogers Place on Wednesday (8 p.m. ET; TNT, SN, SN1, TVAS, NHL LIVE).
Then the Montreal Canadiens (15-34-7) play the Vancouver Canucks (28-23-6) at Rogers Arena (10:30 p.m. ET; TNT, SNP, TSN2, RDS, NHL LIVE).
Here's my breakdown of the games.

Capitals

Pluses: We have to start with forward Alex Ovechkin, who scored two goals in a 5-4 win against the Calgary Flames on Tuesday

. It's amazing what he has done at his age (36). He could score 50 goals this season and likely will score No. 800 next season. Forwards Tom Wilson and Nicklas Backstrom also have played key roles, and goalie Vitek Vanecek has out-performed Ilya Samsonov. The Capitals have won three straight heading into this game.
Minuses: Washington had lost three straight and six of nine (3-6-0) before their current winning streak, so let's see if they can carry over momentum from Tuesday. With all the power they have, it's hard to understand how they rank 26th in power-play percentage (17.6 percent), especially when they have Ovechkin. I'd just like to see them be more consistent and play like the team we know they can be.

Oilers

Pluses:Forwards Connor McDavid (29 goals, 50 assists) and Leon Draisaitl (38 goals, 41 assists) are tied for the NHL scoring lead with 79 points each. After those two, however, there's a drop off in production. The Oilers' third leading scorers, forwards Zach Hyman (19 goals, 18 assists) and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins (seven goals, 30 assists), each has 37 points, and Nugent-Hopkins has been out since Feb. 26 because of an upper-body injury. Defenseman Darnell Nurse is one of the best in the game and is fourth in the NHL in average ice time per game at 26:12. They have lost three in a row (0-2-1) but are playing better since Jay Woodcroft (7-5-1) replaced Dave Tippett as coach Feb. 11.
Minuses: They are missing seven regulars, including defenseman Tyson Barrie, who was placed on injured reserve Monday because of an upper-body injury, and goalie Mike Smith, who has been dealing with an illness. They are tied for 26th in the NHL in penalty killing (75.7 percent) and right now are on the outside of the Stanley Cup Playoff picture.

Canadiens

Pluses: Martin St. Louis has done a great job since he was named coach Feb 9. He's brought fresh energy and new ideas, and the Canadiens have responded, going 7-4-0. They've averaging 3.27 goals per game and allowed 3.00 since St. Louis took over; in 45 games under coach Dominque Ducharme, they averaged 2.20 goals per game and allowed 3.98. Forward Cole Caufield has scored 14 points (seven goals, seven assists) in 11 games since St. Louis was hired.
Minuses:They have been without goalie Carey Price and defenseman Shea Weber this season because of injuries, but likely overachieved last season after those two helped the Canadiens reach the Stanley Cup Final. Injuries aside, too much went wrong for them early on and they never were able to overcome a 3-10-1 start. They traded forward Tyler Toffoli to the Calgary Flames on Feb. 14 and it's likely there will be more players on the move prior to the NHL Trade Deadline on March 21.

Canucks

Pluses:The Canucks have won seven of nine (7-2-0) and are in the mix for a playoff spot. Forward J.T. Miller has been their best player this season and leads them with 63 points (22 goals, 41 assists), almost 20 more points than their second-place scorer, defenseman Quinn Hughes (44). Forwards Elias Pettersson and Brock Boeser have played better since coach Bruce Boudreau was hired Dec. 5, and Thatcher Demko has proven he can be a No. 1 goalie.
Minuses: Demko is 25-16-2, but when he hasn't started the Canucks haven't won much; Jaroslav Halak,
Spencer Martin
and
Michael DiPietro
are a combined 3-7-4. They are 23rd in the NHL in goals per game (2.82) and last in in penalty-killing percentage (70.2 percent). Vancouver is 12-10-3 at home and this is the first of seven straight at Rogers Arena, so it's a key stretch for them.