[gambcom-standard rankid=”4141″ ]
The Detroit Red Wings (32-31-6) take on the Utah Hockey Club (32-27-11) Monday. Puck drop from Delta Center is set for 9 p.m. ET (ESPN+). Let’s analyze BetMGM Sportsbook’s NHL odds around the Wild vs. Stars odds and make our expert NHL picks and predictions.
Season series: Utah leads 1-0; won 4-2 at Detroit March 6
The Wings continue to lose altitude as they’re 2-8-0 in their last 10. They fell 6-3 at the Vegas Golden Knights Saturday as +175 underdogs with the Over (6) cashing in the second period. LW Alex DeBrincat scored his 32nd goal of the season. They’ve played 6 road games this month and lost all of them. Detroit sits 5 points behind the Montreal Canadiens for the final Wild Card spot with 13 games to go — both New York teams are also ahead of Detroit, chasing Montreal.
Utah has won 2 straight on its current 3-game homestand with the latest being a 6-4 W over the Tampa Bay Lightning Saturday. C Logan Cooley netted his 20th and 21st goals of the season, while adding an assist for Utah, which as -111 vs. Tampa Bay as the Over (6) hit in the second period. He has goals in 3 of 4 games and 4 goals combined during the stretch. Utah sits 6 points behind the St. Louis Blues for the final Wild Card spot, but the Hockey Club has 2 games in hand and is behind Calgary and Vancouver in the playoff chase, too.
Stream the NHL all season on ESPN+, with your team’s out-of-market games, exclusive games, originals and more. Get ESPN+ now!
Red Wings at Utah Hockey Club odds
Provided by BetMGM Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated at 3:57 p.m. ET.
- Moneyline (ML): Red Wings +140 (bet $100 to win $140) | Utah Hockey Club -165 (bet $165 to win $100)
- Puck line (PL)/Against the spread (ATS): Red Wings +1.5 (-185) | Hockey Club -1.5 (+150)
- Over/Under (O/U): 6 (O: -120 | U: +100)
[gambcom-standard rankid=”4132″ ]
Red Wings at Utah Hockey Club projected goalies
Petr Mrazek (12-21-2, 3.35 GAA, .891 SV%, 1 SO) vs. Karel Vejmelka (21-18-6, 2.53 GAA, .907 SV%, 1 SO)
Mrazek allowed 4 goals on 26 shots in a 5-1 loss at Washington Tuesday. In typical Jekyll & Hyde fashion, he shut out the Golden Knights in his previous start (March 16). He allowed 4 goals on 26 shots to Utah in his first start of the season while with the Chicago Blackhawks Oct. 8 in a 5-2 loss.
If you look at Vejmelka’s stat line, and you compare it to: 32-15-3, 2.54 GAA, .906 SV%, 1 SO, his is slightly better despite a bad record, right? Would you jump out of your seat if I told you the other stat line belongs to Dallas Stars G Jake Oettinger, who’s revered as one of the top goalies in the sport? It’s true. Vejmelka has been a driving force in Utah’s success this season. He’s 5-3-2 with a 2.87 GAA and .892 SV% this month. He stopped 38 of 40 Detroit fired at him on the road March 6 in the above-mentioned 4-2 victory.
Play our free daily Pick’em Challenge and win! Play now!
Red Wings at Utah Hockey Club picks and predictions
Prediction
Utah 3, Red Wings 2
Moneyline
The Red Wings are in too big of a tailspin for me to buy in to them on the road. It is noticeable to me, though, that they’re only +140 underdogs. I just can’t see them grabbing more than 1 point here.
Utah has 11 goals in its last 2 games, and the goaltending has been great.
Take UTAH HOCKEY CLUB (-165) as it’s not entirely out of range at home.
Puck line/Against the spread
Detroit is too expensive at -185 for the goal of insurance here. Instead, I’m taking ALEX DEBRINCAT OVER 2.5 SHOTS (-155). He has at least 3 shots on goal in 4 straight and had 4 shots against Utah earlier this month.
Over/Under
I’ll take the UNDER 6 (+100). The first matchup ended in a 4-2 final. Utah is 5-3-2 O/U in its last 10, and Detroit is 4-4-2. I expect this to be a tight-checking affair with each team battling for the playoffs. I also don’t trust either offense to put up enough to go Over this total.
[gambcom-standard rankid=”6305″ ]
For more sports betting picks and tips, check out SportsbookWire.com and BetFTW.
Follow Ryan Dodson on Twitter/X. Follow SportsbookWire on Twitter/X and like us on Facebook.
[lawrence-newsletter]
[lawrence-auto-related count=3 category=1369]