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The Pittsburgh Penguins travel west to take on the Utah Hockey Club Wednesday night. Below we will continue our NHL odds series with a Penguins-Utah Hockey Club prediction and pick. We will also let you know how to watch the game.
Here are the Penguins-Utah Hockey Club NHL odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
NHL Odds: Penguins-Utah Hockey Club Odds
Pittsburgh Penguins: +1.5 (-194)
Moneyline: +128
Utah Hockey Club: -1.5 (+156)
Moneyline: -154
Over: 6.5 (+116)
Under: 6.5 (-142)
How To Watch Penguins vs. Utah Hockey Club
Time: 9:30 PM ET/6:30 PM PT
TV: TNT
*Watch NHL games LIVE with fuboTV (Get Access | Save $30)*
Why the Penguins Could Cover the Spread/Win
The Penguins do not usually play well in the defensive zone, but they have a chance to change that Wednesday night. Utah scores 2.84 goals per game, which is the 11th-lowest in the NHL. Their shot percentage is just okay, but Utah does not take many per game. With that in mind, the Penguins have to find a way to keep Utah from finding the back of the net more than three times. If Pittsburgh can do that, they will have a chance to win this game on the road.
Utah has lost their last two games, and they are not playing well in the defensive or offensive zone. They have allowed five and three goals in those two games while scoring just three total goals. It is not easy to win when allowing that many goals, but it becomes even harder when you can not score. Utah has had a lot of trouble scoring lately, and on the season as a whole. If the Utah Hockey Club continue their struggles back home, the Penguins will have a good chance to win this game.
Why the Utah Hockey Club Could Cover the Spread/Win
Pittsburgh is on the last game of their seven-game road trip, and the first six were not very kind to them. Pittsburgh is just 2-4 on this trip, and they are struggling score. The Penguins were held to just one goal in all four of their losses. Now, they did score five goals in each of their two wins, but that is rare for the Penguins to do. In fact, only eight of the Penguins' 20 wins this season have come away from home. With that being said, the Utah Hockey Club have a great chance to get back in the win column Wednesday night.
On the season the Penguins have been very bad in the defensive zone. Their goaltenders are struggling, and their defenseman do not get in front of shots often. The Penguins are allowing 3.60 goals per game, which is the second-most in the NHL. Along with that, Pittsburgh has the 11th-fewest blocks in the NHL. Pittsburgh will allow their opponents to get pucks on net, and those looks are clean looks a lot of the time. Utah, as mentioned, is not a great offensive team, but they have an opportunity to put up a decent amount of goals in this game.
Final Penguins-Utah Hockey Club Prediction & Pick
It is very hard to trust the Penguins to win this game when considering the amount of trouble they have defending. Another thing to take into consideration is the struggles the Penguins have had offensively. Keeping both of those things in mind makes me lean towards Utah. I will take the Utah Hockey Club to win this game straight up.
Final Penguins-Utah Hockey Club Prediction & Pick: Utah Hockey Club ML (-154)
