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The Utah Hockey Club (7-8-3) visits the Boston Bruins (8-9-3) on Thursday. The opening puck drop at TD Garden will be at 7 p.m. (ESPN+). Let’s analyze FanDuel Sportsbook’s NHL odds around the Utah Hockey Club vs. Bruins odds and make our expert NHL picks and predictions.
Season series: Utah leads 1-0 with a 2-1 OT home win Oct. 19
Utah opened its season with 3 straight wins, but is just 4-8-3 since. The 8 losses include each of the club’s last 2 games and 3 of its last 4 (1-3-0).
The Bruins went 4-1-1 in their first 6 November games, but they have dropped 3 in a row (0-2-1) since. Over those 3 straight setbacks (Nov. 14-18), Boston has been outscored 15-5 and has been outshot by an average of 8.7 shots per game.
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Utah Hockey Club at Bruins odds
Provided by FanDuel Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list of NHL odds. Lines last updated at 6:49 a.m. ET.
- Moneyline: Utah Hockey Club +136 (bet $100 to win $136) | Bruins -164 (bet $164 to win $100)
- Puck line (PL)/Against the spread (ATS): Utah Hockey Club +1.5 (-194) | Bruins -1.5 (+156)
- Over/Under (O/U): 5.5 (O: -122 | U: +100)
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Utah Hockey Club at Bruins projected goalies
Connor Ingram (6-4-3, 3.61 GAA, .871 SV%) | Karel Vejmelka (1-4-0, 2.58 GAA, .915 SV%) vs. Jeremy Swayman (5-7-2, 3.47 GAA, .884 SV%)
Ingram was lifted 26 minutes into Utah’s last game, a 6-2 home-ice loss to the Washington Capitals in Monday. Ingram yielded 4 scores in that contest and owns a woeful .864 SV% over his last 8 games.
Vejmelka logged 34 minutes in relief in Utah’s last game, a 6-2 home-ice loss to the Washington Capitals in Monday. He made 9 stops against 11 shots.
Swayman went the route in Boston’s last tilt, a 5-1 home loss to the Columbus Blue Jackets on Monday. The 25-year-old stopped just 23 of 28 shots and has coughed up 12 goals over his last 2 starts.
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Utah Hockey Club at Bruins picks and predictions
Prediction
Bruins 4, Utah Hockey Club 3
Moneyline
Utah is opening a 4-game trip. It went 1-2-1 on its last road trip and is just 1-4-2 over its last 7 contests away from home. Over those 7 games, the club has been blanked 3 times.
Boston’s offensive production (2.40 goals per game) does not match what are better-looking peripheral analytics. In particular, the Bruins have been hurt by a low 8.9% shot percentage. And of late Boston has been better in generating more high-danger shot attempts.
Utah has allowed 6 power-play goals over its last 4 games, and its road defense overall has been mostly bottom-third in quality.
Consider a full-unit action on the BRUINS (-164).
Puck line/Against the spread
No interest. PASS.
Over/Under
Boston’s offense has the biggest chunk of untapped expected-vs.-actual leverage in the total goals equation.
The Bruin power play, which recently went 0-for-17 in a 6-game stretch (Nov. 5-16) has been a major culprit in the disappointing goal numbers. Boston went 1-for-6 with the extra man in its last game, and its poor shooting numbers — due for some gravity all the way around — are really on display in that department. Facing a leaky-of-late Utah PK has to help.
TAKE THE OVER 5.5 (-122).
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