With all of the Olympic hockey betting going the NHL news is getting a little lost in the shuffle. It seems that goalies are all the rage this week in the NHL as one goalie is being handed a torch and another is being given a second chance.

Some hockey insiders were a bit surprised to see Roberto Luongo in net against Team Germany in the last game of the preliminary round of the Olympic tournament. For the past decade or more Martin Brodeur has been the default answer to any goaltending question asked in Canada. Once Patrick Roy faded from the public eye,  Brodeur stepped in and became the top goalie in the league surpassing the records for career wins and career shutouts. But at 38 years old Brodeur may be coming to the end of his reign. There is a feeling that Canada coach Mike Babcock ripped the torch out of the hands of Broduer and handed it to Luongo. Right now the Canucks are battling with the Colorado Avalanche for first place in the Northwest Division. All eyes will be on Luongo to see if he uses his new torch to put a flame under his team and drive them to a Stanley Cup, or if he burns down GM Place.

The Dallas Stars have finally ended their goalie question by waving Alex Auld. That leaves Marty Turco as the number one and Kari Lehtonen as the backup. So the tense relationship between Turco, the Stars and the fans continues. Prior to the Olympic break Turco had won 4 of his 6 starts. That was enough to have the Stars stand behind their all-star goalie and wave Auld. The Stars are within reaching distance of the playoffs as they sit one point out of a playoff spot in ninth place when the NHL stopped for the Olympics. The Stars may rotate Turco and Lehtonen for the rest of the season, but if the Stars make the playoffs then look for Turco to be the man again.

While the NHL takes its Olympic break, there is time to take a step back and look at the best players in the league.

Those who do online betting know the Hart Trophy, for the player deemed most valuable to his team, is being fought out by a short list of players that are lead by someone looking to make history.

Alexander Ovechkin is in a position to gather in his third MVP award and would be the first European to do so. He would also join Bobby Orr and Wayne Gretzky as the only players to win three years in a row.

While the season is just over the half way point, he already has a clear lead. Not only has he led his team to the best record in the league at the break, but the Capitals hold a whopping 13 point lead over the second placed team in the Eastern Conference.

He has also dominated in individual statistics. He leads the league in goals (42), points (89), plus/minus (+43) and shots on goal (283). He is also sixth in assists (47) and fourth in power-play points (28). All while missing eight games earlier in the season with an ankle injury.

He is currently on pace for 57 goals and 67 assists for 121 points that would match career highs in assists and points. This would also be the second highest number of points scored by a player in the past decade; behind Joe Thornton’s 125 in 2005/06.

If he was able to win the award, he would join Orr, Bobby Clarke, Mario Lemieux, Gordie Howe and Howie Morenz as the only players to have won the award three times and trail Eddie Shore(4) and Gretzky (9) in total wins.

He is the likely choice for this seasons MVP barring injury so Caps fans should start knocking on wood now.

When the Toronto Maple Leafs travel to St. Louis to take on the Blues, they will be looking to continue the solid play that was present in their past couple games.

January 31 marked the beginning of a new chapter in Leafs history with six players heading out of town. Toronto is 2-2 since with a 3-0 victory over New Jersey and a 5-0 win over Ottawa; ending the Senators 11-game win streak. Their losses were both close losses, to first place San Jose 3-2 and at New Jersey, 4-3, in a game that the Devils needed three goals in the last 3:04 to win the game.

Playing with a young roster, nine players with fewer than two years of experience were in the line-up last game, the Leafs are playing with more energy and a physicality that was not seen earlier in the year. This is leading to Toronto being in games, which is something that has not happened most of the year.

St. Louis will come into the game having lost four of its last five home games. Playing at the Scottrade Center has been a problem for the Blues as they have struggled to a 10-16-5 record at home this season. Paul Kariya has embodied this trend as he is fourth on the team in goals it 12 but has only scored two at home and they both came in their last game.

Those doing sports betting might be thinking that the Blues might get some help for their struggling offence against a Toronto team that has given up the most goals in the league however J.S. Giguere has two shutouts in his three games with the Leafs. This is the last game for both teams before the Olympic break and Toronto has a good chance of going into it with a win.

We’re betting management around the NHL will have their eyes on Friday’s matchup between Atlanta and Washington, as two of the most exciting players in the league could be in play. One, however, may not even make it to this game.

Thrashers vs Capitals odds – Friday, February 5, 7:00 PM ET

Ilya Kovalchuk is the biggest trade bait on the market right now, and there are plenty of teams that could use a 50-goal player on the wing. Kovalchuk has never reached the playoffs with the Thrashers, who are asking for a king’s ransom for their star. Ironically, Los Angeles looks like they could land him, along with Philadelphia, Boston, and the New York Rangers.

Alex Ovchekin and the Capitals had won 10 in a row ahead of Friday’s trip to New York to face the Rangers, and during that streak, the Washington captain has eight goals and 12 assists. The Capitals have to be considered one of the Stanley Cup favorites at this point, and their defense has even improved.

NHL odds should favor the Capitals at home, where they are 21-3-3, and the Thrashers could be distracted by all the trade talk surrounding their captain. It would be great to see Ovechkin and Kovalchuk, who are expected to lead Russia at the Winter Olympics, going at it on Friday, and if Kovalchuk is still in town, NHL betting fans could be in for one thrilling matchup. The Capitals have won eight of their last 10 against the Thrashers, and they should make it nine out of 11 on Friday.

NHL picks: Washington