Subscribe
Follow Us
The Utah Hockey Club hits the road for the first time as they face the New York Islanders. It is time to continue our NHL odds series with a Utah Hockey Club-Islanders prediction and pick.
Utah enters the game sitting at 1-0 on the year. They opened up the season at home against the Chicago Blackhawks. Dylan Guenther scored 4:56 into the game to score the first goal in Utah franchise history. Clayton Keller added a goal in the first period, and Barrett Hayton made it 3-0 in the second period. The Blackhawks would make it a one-goal game in the third period, but Guenther added an empty-netter to close out the game, as Utah won 5-2.
Meanwhile, the Islanders are looking to make the playoffs again this year. Last year, they would finish 39-27-16, which was good for this in the Metropolitan Division and seventh in the Eastern Conference. Making the playoffs earned interim coach Patrick Roy the full-time job, after going 8-0-1 in April to make the playoffs. Still, they would be eliminated by the Carolina Hurricanes in five games.
Here are the Devils-Sabres NHL odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
NHL Odds: Utah Hockey Club-Islanders Odds
Utah Hockey Club: +1.5 (-200)
Moneyline: +120
New York Islanders: -1.5 (+168)
Moneyline: -152
Over: 5.5 (-122)
Under: 5.5 (+100)
How To Watch Utah Hockey Club vs Islanders
Time: 7:30 PM ET/ 4:30 PM PT
TV: ESPN+
Stream: fuboTV (Free Trial)
Why the Utah Hockey Club Could Cover the Spread/Win
Utah's first line is led by the combination of Clayton Keller, Barrett Hayton, and Nick Schmaltz. Keller led the team last year in goals and points, having 33 goals, 43 assists, and 76 total points. He has already scored a goal this year on three shots. Hayton scored three goals and had seven assists last year in Arizona in just 33 games, but had already made an impact this year. Hayton had a goal and an assist in the first game of the year. Schmaltz also made an impact in the first game, after sitting second on the team in points with 22 goals, 39 assists, and 61 total points. He had two assists in the first game.
Meanwhile, Dylan Guenther and Logan Cooley lead the second line. Guenther had 18 goals and 17 assists in just 45 games last year in Arizona. In the first game of the year, he scored twice in the victory. Further, Cooley had 20 goals and 24 assists last year. He took three shots in the first game of the year, not scoring, but did add two assists.
Connor Ingram is expected to be back in goal for Utah in this one. He was solid in the first game of the year against the Blackhawks, Ingram faced 26 shots, stopping four of them. He had a .923 save percentage and took the win in the game.
Why the Islanders Could Cover the Spread/Win
The Islanders have a new piece on the first line this year, with Anthony Duclair coming in from the Tampa Bay Lightning. Duclair spent 17 games with the Lightning after spending the first 56 games of the year in San Jose. Overall, he scored 24 goals and had 18 assists with the two teams. He will be joining Bo Horvat and Mathew Barzal on the top line. Horvat had 33 goals and 25 assists last year, sitting fourth on the team with 68 total points. He was also solid on the power lay, with ten goals and eight assists. Meanwhile, Barzal led the team in points last year. He had 23 goals, 57 assists, and 80 total points. Further, 25 of them came on the power play.
The second line will feature Brock Nelson and Kyle Palmieri. Nelson led the team last year with 34 goals, while he added 35 assists, for a third-best on the team 69 points. Palmieri had 30 goals last year, with 24 assists, good for 54 points. The Islanders also have their top defenseman back in Noah Dobson. Dobson led the team with 60 assists last year, while he also added ten goals. Further, Dobson added 23 assists on the power play.
Semyon Varlamov is expected to get the nod in goal in this one. He went 14-8-4 last year with a 2.60 goals-against average and a .918 save percentage. That ranked him 12th in the NHL in goals-against average and third in save percentage.
Final Utah Hockey Club-Islanders Prediction & Pick
The Utah Hockey Club scored with ease in their first game of the season. Still, that was partially due to the struggle of Petr Mrazek, who allowed four goals on just 20 shots in the game. They will not have that same luck against Semyon Varlamov and the Islanders. Further, the Islanders have two full lines of scoring options at their disposal. They will also boast a strong power-play unit that will carry them to a win in this one.
Final Utah Hockey Club-Islanders Prediction & Pick: Islanders ML (-152)
