The St. Louis Blues continue their homestand as they face the Utah Hockey Club. It is time to continue our NHL odds series with a Utah Hockey Club-Blues prediction and pick.
The Utah Hockey Club enters the game sitting at 5-5-3 on the year but has won just once in their last seven games. Last time out they faced the Winnipeg Jets. After a scoreless first period, the Jets would break the tie late in the second period on a power play goal. Nino Niederreiter scored twice in the second period as the Jets won the game 3-0.
Meanwhile, the Blues are 7-6-0 on the year, and last time out, they faced the Tampa Bay Lightning. It was a scoreless first period, but the Lightning broke the tie in the second period. Still, the Blues would score two in the second and a third goal in the third period, going on to win the game 3-2.
Here are the Utah Hockey Club-Blues NHL odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
NHL Odds: Utah Hockey Club-Blues Odds
Utah Hockey Club: +1.5 (-290)
Moneyline: -111
St. Louis Blues: -1.5 (+225)
Moneyline: -109
Over: 5.5 (-138)
Under: 5.5 (+112)
How To Watch Utah Hockey Club vs Blues
Time: 8:00 PM ET/ 5:00 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 Dylan Guenther. Keller led the team last year in goals and points, having 33 goals, 43 assists, and 76 total points. Keller has six goals and six 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 five goals and two assists this year. Guenther has also been solid this year, scoring six goals and adding four assists this year. Further, he has two goals and three assists on the power play.
Meanwhile, Nick Schmatz and Logan Cooley have both been solid for Utah this year. Schmatz has not scored this year, but has 11 assists on the year, with three of them on the power play. Meanwhile, Cooley has two goals and eight assists on the year, sitting tied for third on the team in points. Finally, Mikhail Sergachev has been solid from the blue line. He has two goals and seven assists on the year, with a goal and two assists on the power play.
Connor Ingram is expected to be back in goal for Utah in this one. He is 5-2-3 on the year with a 3.57 goals-against average and a .881 save percentage. Ingram has been hit-and-miss this year. Last time out, he stopped 31 of 35 shots in a loss to the Vegas Golden Knights. It was the second time in three games he was in goal for an overtime loss.
Why the Blues Could Cover the Spread/Win
The top line for the Blues is led by Pavel Buchnevich. He comes into the game sitting with four goals and three assists on the year. He is joined on the top line by Brandon Saad and Jake Neighbours. Neighbours come into the game with four goals and one assist on the year. Finally, Saad has two goals and three assists this year.
The Blues have been led by the combination of second liner Jordan Kyrou, and blueliner Philip Broberg. Kyrou has scored four goals this year and added seven assists, with a goal and an assist on the power play this year. Broberg has two goals and seven assists this year, sitting second on the team with nine points this year. Still, Broberg will be missing time with an injury. Finally, Colton Parayko has been solid from the blue line as well. He has three goals and five assists on the year.
Jordan Binnington is expected to be in goal for this one. He is just 4-5-0 on the year with a .904 save percentage and a 2.77 goals-against average. In his last game, he allowed just two goals on 23 shots. It was his third straight game over .905 in save percentage.
Final Utah Hockey Club-Blues Prediction & Pick
The Utah Hockey Club is currently tied for 19th in the NHL in goals per game, sitting with 2.85 goals per game this year. Still, they have struggled on the defensive end of the ice. Utah is 27th in the NHL in goals-against average allowing 2.46 goals per game this year. Still, the Blues are tied for 23rd in the NHL in goals per game, with 2.69 goals per game this year. The Blues have been the better team on defense, allowing just 3.08 goals per game. They will be missing their top defenseman in Philip Broberg though, and that will be the difference. The Utah Hockey Club is favored in terms of odds in this early season NHL game, and they get the win.
Final Utah Hockey Club-Blues Prediction & Pick: Utah Hockey Club ML (-111)
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