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The Utah Hockey Club hits the road as they face the Florida Panthers. It is time to continue our NHL odds series with a Utah Hockey Club-Panthers prediction and pick.
The Utah Hockey Club comes into the game at 32-28-11 on the year, which places them in sixth place in the Central Division. With recent play, there is concern for Utah, as they are dropping out of the playoff picture. In their last game, they faced the Detroit Red Wings. Utah got on the board first with a goal from Dylan Guenther, but the Red Wings would tie the game in the period. The Red Wings would add a goal from Marco Kasper in the second period, and then score three more times in the third on their way to defeating the Utah Hockey Club 5-1. Utah will play at Tampa Bay on Thursday night before facing Florida on Friday.
Meanwhile, the Panthers are looking to make another Stanely Cup run, currently at 43-25-3 on the year, and tied for the top spot in the Atlantic Division. In their last game, they faced the Pittsburgh Penguins. Same Reinhart opened the scoring, but the Penguins would strike twice in the first period to take a 2-1 lead. Evgeni Malkin made it 3-1 before Sam Reinhart scored his second goal of the game. In the third period, Anton Lundell tied the game to force overtime. After a scoreless overtime, the Panthers would win the game in a shootout.
Here are the Utah Hockey Club-Panthers NHL odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
NHL Odds: Utah Hockey Club-Panthers Odds
Utah Hockey Club: +1.5 (-128)
Moneyline: +202
Florida Panthers: -1.5 (+104)
Moneyline: -250
Over: 5.5 (-122)
Under: 5.5 (+100)
How To Watch Utah Hockey Club vs Panthers
Time: 7:00 PM ET/ 4:00 PM PT
TV: NHL Network
*Watch NHL games LIVE with fuboTV (Get Access | Save $30)*
Why the Utah Hockey Club Will Cover the Spread/Win
The top line for Utah is led by Clayton Keller. Keller leads the team in assists and points this year, coming into the game with 24 goals and 54 assists, good for 78 total points. He also has seven goals and 25 assists on the power play. Meanwhile, Nick Schmaltz joins Keller on the top line and is second on the team in points, coming in with 17 goals and 40 assists on the year. Finally, Logan Cooley rounds out the line and has 21 goals plus 33 assists, sitting third on the team in points this year.
The second line for Utah is led by Dylan Guenther. He comes into the game fourth on the team in points but leads the team in goals, having 26 goals and 24 assists. Guenther also has 12 goals and 12 assists on the power play. He is joined on the line by Barrett Hayton. Hayton comes in with 17 goals and 22 assists this year. Meanwhile, Mikhail Sergachev is fifth on the team in points, playing from the blue line. He comes in with 13 goals and 32 assists this year.
With Karel Vejmelka expected to be in the net Thursday night, it would be Jaxson Stauber for Utah in this one. He is 2-1-1 this year with a 2.76 goals-against average and a .912 save percentage.
Why the Panthers Will Cover the Spread/Win
The Panthers' top line is led by Sam Reinhart. Reinhart leads the team in goals and points this year. He comes into the game with 35 goals and 40 assists, good for 75 total points. Further, he has 11 goals and 17 assists on the power play. Meanwhile, Aleksander Barkov is second on the team in points and leads in assists, joining Reinhart on the top line. He comes in with 19 goals and 45 asssits this year, with nine goals and 18 assists on the power play. Carter Verhaeghe rounds out the line, sitting fifth on the team in points with 17 goals and 29 assists this year.
With Matthew Tkachuk and Brad Marchand potentially still out of the lineup, Sam Bennett leads the second line. He has 23 goals and 24 assists this year. Meanwhile, Anton Lundell leads the third line and is sixth on the team in points. He comes in with 16 goals and 26 assists this year.
Sergei Bobrovsky is expected to be in goal for the Panthers in this one. He is 30-15-2 on the year with a 2.46 goals-against average and a .907 save percentage. Bobrovsky is 3-2-0 in his last five starts, not giving up more than three goals in any of the three starts.
Final Utah Hockey Club-Panthers Prediction & Pick
This NHL game sees the Panthers favored in terms of odds. One reason is an experienced line of scoring options facing a rookie goaltender who in his only appearance this calendar year gave up four goals on 28 shots in relief. The Panthers are scoring 3.15 goals per game this year as well. Take the Panthers in this one.
Final Utah Hockey Club-Panthers Prediction & Pick: Panthers -1.5 (+104)
