NHL skates into Olympic break

NHL sportsbook odds (beted reviews) will take a break for a couple of weeks as the Winter Olympics will take center stage. There is still a couple of matchups to keep an eye on this weekend before the NHL sends its best players to Vancouver.

Rangers vs Penguins odds – Friday, February 12, 7:30 PM ET

The Penguins are the NHL betting favorites at -220 as they’ve beaten the Rangers in all four meetings so far this season, and seven in a row overall. The Rangers haven’t been able to stop Sidney Crosby, as the Penguins captain has lit up New York for six goals and five assists in the four games, while Sergei Gonchar has six helpers. All four wins have gone to Marc-Andrew Fleury, who has a 2.25 GAA and a .920 save percentage against the Rangers. His counterpart, Henrik Lundqvist, hasn’t fared well against the Penguins, picking up three losses with a 3.39 GAA and an .889 save percentage, while Marian Gaborik has led the scoring with three goals and two assists. Gaborik may not even play tonight as he suffered a cut on his knee by Lundqvist’s skate in a freak practice accident on Tuesday. Without their leading scorer, the slumping Rangers won’t be able to keep up with a Pittsburgh team that is playing well right now.

Ducks vs Flames odds – Saturday, February 13, 10:00 PM ET

The Flames should be favored in your sportsbook at home, but they’ve already lost a pair of one-goal games in Anaheim this season. The Ducks have been getting good production form their lineup despite an injury to Ryan Getzlaf, although he says he’ll be ready to suit up for Team Canada in the Winter Olympics (Philadelphia’s Jeff Carter will replace Getzlaf if he can’t go). Corey Perry and Bobby Ryan have stepped up, and Jonas Hiller has played very well since the Ducks traded Jean-Sebastien Giguere to Toronto. The Flames were also involved in a big trade with the Maple Leafs, sending Dion Phaneuf to Toronto, but the players they’ve received are still figuring out the system in Calgary. The Flames’ biggest problem is an inability to score, as they’ve notched more than two goals in a game just once in their last six outings, and they’re wasting some very good goaltending by Miikka Kiprusoff, who is doing all he can to keep Calgary in the playoff picture. The Flames are probably the biggest disappointment in the Western Conference, and they’re just looking to get into the break, while the Ducks are hot right now and will be out for a good start to their back-to-back set in Alberta. Make the Ducks your internet betting pick on Saturday.