NHL Weekender: Maple Leafs, Jets leading a Canadian charge

The Tampa Bay Lightning may still own the Eastern Conference, but their lead in the standings has slimmed significantly because of the streak that Toronto has been on. The Maple Leafs have won two straight, including a wicked battle against Edmonton in which they upended their Canadian rival 6-4. They visit Vancouver this weekend to duke it out with the Canucks before heading home.

The same can be said about the competition out West, with the Jets eating away at the St. Louis Blues' lead in the conference. As we discussed earlier this week, this Winnipeg squad finally has the offensive depth it needs to be a competitive juggernaut in this league. The Jets host two games over the weekend, including the sputtering Ottawa Senators in a Sunday afternoon matchup.

... and skidding out

Speaking of the Senators, so far, 2017-18 just hasn't been Ottawa's campaign. Now the Sens find themselves on a five-game skid whilst inhabiting the basement of the Atlantic Division. Their upcoming schedule isn't too forgiving either — they hit the road to face the Islanders and the Jets this weekend before making a California swing against tough Pacific Division teams.

In the Western Conference, the Minnesota Wild are trying to get their act together after seeing mixed results over the last few weeks. Heck, their GM even went on record to call the team "disappointing" after the slow start that has put them in sixth place in the Central Division. They have steep competition this weekend, too, as they host the division-leading Blues Saturday.

Don't-miss goalie of the weekend 

Sergei Bobrovsky: On top of the Columbus Blue Jackets winning seven of their last 10, Bob has been a savage in the crease. He currently leads the league with a .935 save percentage and a very impressive 1.92 goals-against average. During a two-week stretch in which CBJ won six straight games, the 29-year-old netminder registered a 0.98 goals-against average with a .967 save percentage and two shutouts. Not too shabby for a guy campaigning after he won the Vezina Trophy for the 2016-17 season.

Coach on tilt?

We're still early in the season, and while the Philadelphia Flyers aren't the worst team in the NHL thus far — hello, Sabres and Coyotes — no coach's seat is hotter than that of Flyers coach Dave Hakstol. Not only is his team underachieving, sitting at dead last with 23 points in the strong Metropolitan Division, but he's been at the heart of many of the team's 17 losses.

Take, for instance, an early October matchup with the Nashville Predators. The Flyers led 5-4 with minutes remaining but were down two men when former Flyer Scott Hartnell tied it. Hakstol decided to challenge that the play was offsides, despite the fact that if he lost it, his team would have to kill another two-man advantage. He challenged anyway, lost and the Predators scored on the resulting two-man advantage to win.

You'd think he'd learn. He didn't. Just last weekend in a game against the defending champion — and bitter rival — Pittsburgh Penguins, Hakstol decided to challenge a goal by Patric Hornqvist — a goal that was already reviewed to see if it was kicked in and confirmed as a goal. Yes, Hakstol was challenging that there was actually goalie interference, but there really wasn't — and again, the play had already been reviewed. It was confirmed again, and the Flyers went on to lose yet another game.

The Flyers aren't bad because of Hakstol, but they aren't getting better, which does fall on the man behind the bench.

What to watch this weekend

Ducks at Blue Jackets, Friday, 7 p.m. ET, PRIT, FSOH

The Blue Jackets gets the weekend rolling after winning three of their last four, taking on a rough-and-tumble Anaheim Ducks team that has struggled over the past week.

Ducks at Predators, Saturday, 8 p.m. ET, FSTN, PRIT

The Ducks then travel to Nashville to face off with the Predators for the first time since last season's Stanley Cup Playoffs. (The Preds, of course, took that series on their way to their first ever Stanley Cup Final.)

Kings at Blackhawks, Sunday, 7 p.m. ET, FSW, NSCH

Those looking to avoid Sunday football should definitely tune in to watch the L.A. Kings host the Chicago Blackhawks. L.A. continues to dominate the Pacific Division while the Blackhawks try to rally from dropping a couple straight tilts this past week. Plus, a frustrated Chicago team will hit harder, which means this could potentially be the hardest checking game of the weekend.

Devils at Avalanche, Friday, 9 p.m. ET, Alti, MS+2

Devils at Coyotes, Saturday, 8 p.m. ET, MSG+, FSAZ 

Keep an eye on the New Jersey Devils this weekend — even though games against teams like the Avalanche and Coyotes don't look that appealing on paper. The scrappy Devils are fighting to maintain good standing in the Metropolitan Division after only winning five of their last 10. They are also hitting the road, where they have posted a 8-2-2. A couple more victories can keep them in competition in the Metropolitan with the second-place New York Islanders, who have won four straight games.