NHL Weekend Preview

The playoff push is on in the NHL, making this weekend’s games even more important to teams on the postseason fence or fighting for a more favorable position in the standings. Here’s the best NHL betting action from Saturday and Sunday’s schedule:

Saturday - Atlanta Thrashers at Pittsburgh Penguins

The Thrashers have their sights set on the eighth and final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. Despite being second in the Southeast Division, Atlanta was two points back of the Montreal Canadiens for the last ticket to the playoffs heading into Thursday’s divisional battle with the Washington Capitals.

As of Thursday, the Thrashers had split wins and losses in their last four outings. Their win over the Toronto Maple Leafs on Tuesday was a big momentum-builder, but an injury to top defenseman Pavel Kubina may take some of the air out of Atlanta’s push.

The Penguins are also fighting through injuries in the home stretch of the season. Pittsburgh was without star forward Evgeni Malkin and top blueliner Sergei Gonchar for Wednesday’s 2-0 loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning. Heading into the weekend, the Penguins are third in the Eastern Conference, just one point behind Buffalo for the second spot and home-ice advantage through to the conference final.

Sunday - Detroit Red Wings at Philadelphia Flyers

Both these clubs are starting to gain sleeper status as the playoffs draw near. Detroit has come back from the dead, winning six straight games and nine of its last 10 outings heading into Thursday’s game against the Columbus Blue Jackets. The Red Wings sit in sixth in the Western Conference – just a point back of the Nashville Predators for the fifth spot in the standings.

Detroit is peaking at the right time and riding a red-hot offense and solid goaltending into the final month of the season. The Red Wings have averaged almost four goals a night during this winning streak while rookie goaltender Jimmy Howard has stood on his head. He’s given up just two goals per game, starting all six of those wins.

Philadelphia was sixth in the Eastern Conference heading into Thursday’s contest with the New York Islanders. The Flyers snapped a five-game losing skid with a 5-1 win over the New Jersey Devils last Sunday. Philadelphia’s resident tough guy, Daniel Carcillo, will be back from a two-game suspension on Sunday. He leads the team in penalty minutes with 196.