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The Utah Hockey Club (1-0-0) meets the New York Islanders (0-0-0) at UBS Arena Thursday. Puck drop is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. ET (ESPN+). Let’s analyze BetMGM Sportsbook’s NHL odds around the Utah Hockey Club vs. Islanders odds and make our expert NHL picks and predictions.
Season series: First meeting
Utah got off to a great start in front of a raucous crowd at the Delta Center Tuesday in the 1st-ever game in franchise history. The Utah Hockey Club picked up a 5-2 win over the Chicago Blackhawks, as RW Dylan Guenther scored a pair of goals and C Nick Schmaltz chipped in with 2 helpers. G Connor Ingram was good for 24 saves on 26 shots to get the win.
The Islanders play their 1st game of the season. They weren’t terribly active in the offseason market, adding F Anthony Duclair while losing D Sebastian Aho (not the Carolina forward, the defenseman) to the Pittsburgh Penguins. New York also added F Maxim Tsyplakov, formerly of the KHL, and he is expected to pair with Bo Horvat to give the Isles a formidable top line.
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Utah Hockey Club at Islanders odds
Provided by BetMGM Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list of NHL odds. Lines last updated at Wednesday at 8:16 p.m. ET.
- Moneyline (ML): Utah Hockey Club +130 (bet $100 to win $130) | Islanders -155 (bet $155 to win $100)
- Puck line (PL)/Against the spread (ATS): Utah Hockey Club +1.5 (-185) | Islanders -1.5 (+150)
- Over/Under (O/U): 6 (O: -105 | U: -115)
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Utah Hockey Club at Islanders projected goalies
Karel Vejmelka (13-19-2, 3.35 GAA, .897 SV%, 1 SO in 2023-24) vs. Semyon Varlamov (14-8-4, 2.60 GAA, .918 SV%, 3 SO in 2023-24) vs.
After Ingram started the opener in Salt Lake City, Vejmelka is likely to get a shot against the Islanders. He was just 5-10-2 on the road in 16 starts last season, but his GAA (3.22) and SV% (.901) were better on the road than at home. He allowed just a single goal on 34 shots in a hard-luck loss against the Islanders Oct. 17 in New York last season.
Varlamov had a winning record at home last season going 6-3-2 with a 2.75 GAA and .908 SV% with 1 SO. He has been a hot starter in the past, including last season when he had a 1.51 GAA and .961 SV% in 2 October starts.
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Utah Hockey Club at Islanders picks and predictions
Prediction
Islanders 3, Utah Hockey Club 2
Moneyline
The ISLANDERS (-155) are worth a look as moderate favorites in the season opener at home.
The Utah Hockey Club (+130) was impressive in the home opener, but that was also a young team feeding off of all of the exuberance of the fans in the 1st-ever NHL game in Salt Lake City. Now, can the young hockey club bring that same kind of intensity in a hostile environment?
Puck line/Against the spread
If you want a little insurance and don’t trust the Utah Hockey Club +1.5 (-185) straight up, it will cost you. You can’t risk nearly 2 times your potential return on the road team, even though this game should be a rather close one. It’s just too much risk for not enough reward.
PASS.
Over/Under
UNDER 6 (-115) is a strong play in this road battle for Utah.
Last season, when this franchise was located in Arizona, it played a low-scoring, defensive battle on the Island, falling 1-0 with Vejmelka in the cage. The Utah offense looked pretty solid Tuesday, but again, that was at home with a ton of excitement. This is a young team facing a very good veteran goaltender. Goals should be more at a premium Thursday.
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