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The Buffalo Sabres continue their homestand as they face the Utah Hockey Club. It is time to continue our NHL odds series with a Utah Hockey Club-Sabres prediction and pick.
The Utah Hockey Club comes into the game sitting at 10-11-4 on the year. That places them in sixth place in the Central Division. They have won just twice in their last five games, and last time out, faced the Dallas Stars. After a scoreless first period, Evgenii Dadonov gave the Stars the lead in the second, as they would also add another goal in the period. Nick Schmaltz scored in the third, but the comeback would fail, as Utah lost 2-1.
Meanwhile, the Sabres are 11-12-3 on the year, which is fifth in the Atlantic Divison, but have lost five straight games. The Sabres had a 2-1 lead in the first period, but Kyle Connor would tie the game up on the power play in the second. After a scoreless third period, there would be overtime. In overtime, Adam Lowry would score the game-winner, to send the Sabres to a 3-2 loss.
Here are the Utah Hockey Club-Sabres NHL odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
NHL Odds: Utah Hockey Club-Sabres Odds
Utah Hockey Club: +1.5 (-250)
Moneyline: +105
Buffalo Sabres: -1.5 (+198)
Moneyline: -126
Over: 5.5 (-140)
Under: 5.5 (+114)
How To Watch Utah Hockey Club vs Sabres
Time: 1:00 PM ET/ 10:00 AM PT
TV: ESPN+
Stream: fuboTV (Get Access / Save $30)
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 leads the team in points this year, coming into the game with seven goals and 15 assists. Further, he has a goal and four assists on the power play. Meanwhile, Schmaltz is tied for third on the team in points. He has three goals with 17 assists while adding a goal and three assists on the power play. Hayton has five goals and six assists on the year.
Coming in on the second line is the combination of Dylan Guenther and Logan Cooley. Guenther is second on the team in points while leading the team in goals. He has 10 goals and 11 assists on the year, with four goals and five assists on the power play. Cooley is tied for third on the team in points, having six goals and 14 assists this year, good for 20 points. Further, the two both have a plus/minus rating of seven or higher. Finally, the recently acquired Olli Maatta has been solid defensively. While he has just two assists, he has a plus-five rating since joining the team.
They are expected to be shooting on Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen for the Sabres. Luukkonen is 8-6-3 on the year with a 2.70 goals-against average and a .906 save percentage. Still, he has struggled as of late. Luukkonen has lost four straight games, two in overtime while giving up 13 goals over the four games.
Why the Sabres Could Cover the Spread/Win
The Sabres top line is led by Tage Thompson and Alex Tuch. Tuck leads the team in points and assists this year. He comes into the game with eight goals and 16 assists on the season, with four assists on the power play. He also has three shorthanded goals this year. Meanwhile, Thompson has scored 14 times this year, the most on the team. He also has seven assists, with two goals and three assists on the power play. Rounding out the line is Jason Zucker. Zucker has scored five times while adding 11 assists. Three goals and four assists have come on the power play.
Meanwhile, Rasmus Dahlin has been working through injuries but has been solid this year. He has six goals and 13 assists on the year, with three goals and five assists on the power play. That places him third on the team in total points and most on the team in power-play points. He did miss the last game with an injury though. Finally, JJ Peterka has eight goals and nine assists on the year.
The Sabres are expected to be shooting on Karel Vejmelka in this one for Utah. He is just 3-7-1 on the year with a 2.38 goals-against average and a .917 save percentage. While his save numbers for the year are solid, he has lost three of the last four and had sa ave percentage below .880 in two of them.
Final Utah Hockey Club-Sabres Prediction & Pick
Utah is not scoring well this year. They are scoring just 2.80 goals per game while sitting 24th on the power play. Still, they are 15th in the NHL in goals-against per game. The Sabres are scoring just 2.96 goals per game this year while sitting tied for 20th in goals against. While the Sabres are favored in terms of odds in this NHL game, they keep giving leads away as of late. Take Utah.
Final Utah Hockey Club-Sabres Prediction & Pick: Utah Hockey Club ML (+105)
