Pluses, minuses for Islanders-Capitals, Wild-Avalanche

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

The New York Islanders (38-28-9) visit the Washington Capitals (34-32-8) at Capital One Arena on Wednesday (7:30 p.m. ET; TNT, SN NOW). Then the Minnesota Wild (43-22-9) visit the Colorado Avalanche (44-23-6) at Ball Arena (10 p.m. ET; TNT, SN360, TVAS, SN NOW).
Here's my breakdowns of the games.

Islanders

Pluses: They've been great lately, winning when they have to, including a 5-1 victory against the New Jersey Devils on Monday. Despite being without one of their leaders in center Mathew Barzal, they've gone 10-4-2 in his absence. Forward Zach Parise has 21 goals and center Kyle Palmieri has turned it on with 10 points (five goals, five assists) in his past six games New York has also benefited from the teams below them in the Eastern Conference wild-card race struggling, and holds a three-point lead over the Pittsburgh Penguins for the first wild card into the Stanley Cup Playoffs from the East, and a six-point edge over the Florida Panthers, who are on the outside looking in.
Minuses: Their power play ranks 29th in the NHL (16.5 percent). I know they are without Barzal, but they do have center Bo Horvat, who has an NHL career-high-tying 37 goals this season, including six since being acquired by the Islanders in a trade with the Vancouver Canucks on Jan. 30. They also haven't defeated the Capitals this season, losing 4-3 in overtime on Jan. 16 and losing 5-1 on March 11.

Capitals

Pluses: Alex Ovechkin has 72 points (42 goals, 30 assists) in 68 games and clearly hasn't slowed down at age 37. The forward enters this game with at least one goal in four straight games and has averaged nearly a point a game in his NHL career against the Islanders (65 points; 42 goals, 23 assists in 65 games. Defenseman John Carlson scored in his return from injury and has three points in two games since recovering from a skull fracture and laceration of the temporal artery. Center Dylan Strome, who signed as a free agent on July 14, 2022 and then signed a subsequent five-year contract on Feb. 3, is second on Washington in scoring with an NHL career-high-tying 57 points (18 goals, 39 assists) and has been one of the most underrated signings this season.
Minuses: It seems like it's going to be a steep hill for the Capitals to climb in order to qualify for the playoffs; they are six points behind the Penguins for the second wild card in the East, but also trail the Panthers by three points and the Buffalo Sabres and Ottawa Senators by one point. Washington also traded several veterans, including center Lars Eller, forwards Garnet Hathaway and Marcus Johansson and defenseman Dmitry Orlov prior to the NHL Trade Deadline, so it was clearly looking toward the future though it wasn't out of the race to the postseason.

Wild

Pluses: They've arguably been the hottest team in the NHL, going 15-1-4 in their past 20 games. Marc-Andre Fleury (24-13-4, 2.81 goals-against average, .909 save percentage, two shutouts) and Filip Gustavsson (19-9-5, 2.01 GAA, .932 save percentage, three shutouts) each has been excellent, giving Minnesota two goalies who will be fresh and ready for the playoffs. Forward Matt Boldy has two hat tricks (nine goals total) in his past five games and has stepped up in the absence of forward Kirill Kaprizov, out with a lower-body injury. I'm sure any Wild fan wouldn't have believed it you if you had told them they'd be playing this well without Kaprizov, their leading scorer who I expect to return prior to the playoffs. Minnesota has also played extremely well away from home, going 19-11-6, and lead the Avalanche and Dallas Stars by one point for the lead in the Central Division.
Minuses: I really don't see any weaknesses right now; of course, teams can always improve in certain areas but they're playing well at the right time, and this will be a huge test for them.

Avalanche

Pluses: Nathan MacKinnon could reach 100 points for the first time in his NHL career (he's at 97 with 32 goals and a career-high 63 assists) in only 62 games. It's crazy to think the cneter has never hit that mark, though he did have 99 points (41 goals, 58 assists) in 2018-19. Forward Mikko Rantanen has been their MVP and has already scored a League career-high 48 goals. Alexandar Georgiev is tied for second in the NHL with 34 wins in his first season as a true No. 1 goalie and his five shutouts are tied for the lead. Colorado is 9-1-0 in its past 10 games and has defeated Minnesota twice already this season, each time on the road (6-3 on Oct. 17; 3-2 on Feb. 15).
Minuses: Injuries have been the story of their season but yet, the Avalanche would climb to first place in the Central Division with a win Wednesday. They are without captain Gabriel Landeskog, who hasn't played all season, goalie Pavel Francouz, defenseman Josh Manson and forward Artturi Lehkonen. It's hard to imagine how much better they will be once fully healthy.