Pluses, minuses for Maple Leafs-Capitals, Wild-Kings

Analyst Weekes breaks down Wednesday doubleheader on TNT

March 20, 2024

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

The Toronto Maple Leafs (38-20-9) visit the Washington Capitals (33-25-9) at Capital One Arena on Wednesday (7:30 p.m. ET; MAX, TNT, SN, TVAS). Then, the Minnesota Wild (34-27-8) play the Los Angeles Kings (35-22-11) at Crypto.com Arena (10 p.m. ET; MAX, TNT, SN1, TVAS).

Here's my breakdown of the games.

Pluses: Bobby McMann has been a great story, making the most of his opportunity. He has 18 points (10 goals, eight assists) in 43 games of his first full NHL season. Their offense has been great, third in the NHL with 3.57 goals per game, and they were able to win with key players out of the lineup. Overall, the goaltending has been better in the second half for Ilya Samsonov, Joseph Woll and Martin Jones.

Minuses: They've lost two straight for the first time since dropping four in a row from Jan. 11-16. It doesn't help that they are without one of their best players in Mitchell Marner. And by his standards, Auston Matthews is in a slump with three goals in nine games.

TOR@MTL: McMann rips in a beauty to tie it up

Pluses: Alex Ovechkin became the first player in NHL history to score at least 20 goals in 19 straight seasons. He scored twice in a 5-2 win at the Calgary Flames on Monday and has three goals in his past two games. Coach Spencer Carbery has done a great job in his first season, especially when the Capitals started 10-4-2, and having injuries to Nicklas Backstrom and T.J. Oshie, among others. Dylan Strome is leading them in points (53) and Washington has won three in a row to pull within one point of the Detroit Red Wings for the second wild card into the Stanley Cup Playoffs from the Eastern Conference.

Minuses: They're 29th in the NHL in goals per game (2.66), so they've really been relying on their defense and goaltending but that can't win every game. Strome (23 goals) and Ovechkin are their only 20-goal scorers after Anthony Mantha (20 goals) was sent to the Vegas Golden Knights prior to the 2024 NHL Trade Deadline.

WSH@CGY: Ovechkin rifles home his second goal on the power play

Pluses: Marc-Andre Fleury is 39 years old and has been playing lights out. He has a 2.67 goals-against average and .906 save percentage this season and has allowed two goals or fewer in six of seven games. Not to be outdone, Filip Gustavsson, who has struggled, made 27 saves in a 4-0 win against the Anaheim Ducks on Tuesday, when Kirill Kaprizov extended his point streak to eight games (10 goals, four assists) and his goal streak to five (six goals). The Wild were far out of a playoff spot but have fought hard, going 6-0-2 in their past eight to get within three points behind the Golden Knights for the second wild card from the Western Conference.

Minuses: Defenseman Jonas Brodin left the win against the Ducks early in the third period after he fell to the ice following a check by Alex Killorn. The Wild can't afford to have him out long term. He averages 3:08 of ice time on the penalty kill, which ranks 28th in the NHL (74.7 percent), so it's hard to imagine how much more it could struggle without him.

MIN@STL: Fleury robs Hayes with a pad save in 1st

Pluses: The Kings are 6-3-1 in their past 10 games and coming off a 6-2 win against the Chicago Blackhawks on Tuesday. Cam Talbot has rediscovered his groove and David Rittich has played well, helping the Kings rank third in goals-against per game (2.57). They've turned it around by going 12-7-1 since Jim Hiller replaced Todd McLellan as coach Feb. 2. Quinton Byfield's progression has been excellent this season. He's fourth on the Kings with 49 points (19 goals, 30 assists) and leads them with a plus-17 rating. He's playing with confidence, and it shows.

Minuses: They've done better at home but are 15-11-7 there. They are also 2-6-2 in the second half of back-to-back games. Every point matters right now, so the Kings have to find a way to get points against the Wild, who are only five points behind them in the standings.

LAK@CHI: Talbot denies 28 shots in victory over the Blackhawks