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The Utah Hockey Club continues their first road trip of the year as they visit the New York Rangers. It is time to continue our NHL odds series with a Utah Hockey Club-Rangers prediction and pick.
The Utah Hockey Club enters the game sitting at 2-0 on the year. They opened up at home winning the game 5-2 over the Blackhawks. They would then fade the Islanders on the road. Utah would tie the game with 1:54 left in the third, and then go on to win the game on an overtime goal by Dylan Guenther. Meanwhile, the Rangers are 1-0 on the year. They dominated in their first game of the year. The Rangers scored three times in the first period and took a 6-0 victory.
Here are the Utah Hockey Club-Rangers NHL odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
NHL Odds: Utah Hockey Club-Rangers Odds
Utah Hockey Club: +1.5 (-152)
Moneyline: +164
New York Rangers: -1.5 (+126)
Moneyline: -200
Over: 6.5 (+112)
Under: 6.5 (-140)
How To Watch Utah Hockey Club vs Rangers
Time: 7:00 PM ET/ 4:00 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. Kwlle has a goal and two assists this year. 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 has two goals and an assist this year. Schmaltz also has made an impact this year, after sitting second on the team in points with 22 goals, 39 assists, and 61 total points. He has two assists on the year already.
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. Guenther has scored four times already this year. Further, Cooley had 20 goals and 24 assists last year. Cooley has not scored yet this year, but he does have four assists this year, including one on the power play.
Connor Ingram is expected to be back in goal for Utah in this one. He is 2-0 on the year with a 2.94 goals-against average and a .882 save percentage. He has allowed six goals on 51 shots this year. Ingram faces the Rangers once last year. He stopped 26 of 28 shots but took the loss to the Rangers in that game.
Why the Rangers Could Cover the Spread/Win
The top line of the Rangers is led by Artemi Panarin, Vincent Trocheck, and Alexis Lafreniere. Panarin led the team in goals, points, and assists last year. He has 49 goals, 71 assists, and 120 total points. He already has two assists on the year this year. Trocheck was second on the team in points last year. He had 25 goals and 52 assists last year, good for 77 total points. Trocheck has a goal already this year. Finally, Lafreniere had 28 goals and 29 assists last year, while he also had been solid to start the year. He has a goal and an assist already this year.
The second line is home to Chris Kreider and Mika Zibanejad. Kreider was third on the team in points last year. He had 39 goals and 36 assists last year, good for 75 total points. Kreider was great in his first game of the year, scoring twice on five shots, including a short-handed goal. Zibanejad had 26 goals and 46 assists last year. He did not have a shot in the first game, and a plus-one rating.
Igor Shesterkin will be in goal for this one for the Rangers. He was great in the first game of the year. Shesterkin stopped all 29 shots he faced and took the shutout victory. Shesterkin had four shutouts last year while going 36-17-2 with a 2.58 goals-against average and a .913 save percentage. Shesterkin faced this team when they were in Arizona last year. He stopped 26 of 27 shots in that game, taking the win.
Final Utah Hockey Club-Rangers Prediction & Pick
The Utah Hockey Club has started 2-0 on the year. Before moving to Utah, the last time the franchise was 2-0 to start the year was their 2015-16 season in Arizona. That year, they would win their third game of the year, and end up missing the playoffs after finishing fourth in the Pacific division. They have been solid this year, but are running into a great team in the Rangers. The Rangers were one of the best-scoring teams in the NHL last year and scored six goals in their first one. Further, Igor Shesterkin was great in the first game and should be again in this one. The odds in this Saturday's NHL tilt favor the Rangers, and they will win this one.
Final Utah Hockey Club-Rangers Prediction & Pick: Rangers -1.5 (+126)
