The Canadiens enter this game on a hot streak, while the Utah Hockey Club is trending in the opposite direction in this NHL odds, prediction, and pick.
Nate Duffett
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The Montreal Canadiens are making some noise in the Eastern Conference, and they hope it'll continue when they face one of the league's most struggling teams, the Utah Hockey Club. Montreal and Utah have been off since Saturday night as the Canadiens embark on a two-game road trip through Utah and Dallas. The historic Canadiens met the league's newest club for the first time back at the end of November, with Utah stealing a 3-2 overtime victory at the Bell Centre. The Canadiens hope to return the favor now that they look like a much different team. It's time to continue our NHL odds series with a Canadiens-Utah Hockey Club prediction and pick.
Here are the Canadiens-Utah HC NHL odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
Montreal Canadiens: +1.5 (-190)
Moneyline: +135
Utah Hockey Club: -1.5 (+160)
Moneyline: -160
Over: 5.5 (-120)
Under: 5.5 (+100)
Time: 9 PM ET/6 PM PT
TV: TSN, Utah16
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The Canadiens are no longer a team everyone can overlook in the Eastern Conference. They are 7-2-1 over their last ten games and have wins against some of the league's best teams. It has been a gauntlet of playoff teams. Still, the Canadiens answered every test, defeating the Washington Capitals, Vancouver Canucks, Colorado Avalanche, Vegas Golden Knights, Tampa Bay Lightning, and Florida Panthers. The Canadiens' issue has been beating the weaker teams in the league, a category that Utah falls into. The Canadiens must find a way to get past Utah in this game, but the oddsmakers seem to think that won't happen. These odds offer tremendous value if looking at the Canadiens' form over their past ten games.
It looks like Jakub Dobes could get the start in this game if the Canadiens continue alternating games for their goaltenders. Sam Montembeault had a good performance in his last game against the Dallas Stars but had allowed four goals in back-to-back starts before that matchup. Dobes has been lights out since his debut, allowing three goals over three games, and has won every start. Two of those victories came in overtime and a shootout, which shows he isn't afraid of the moment against teams like the Panthers, Capitals, and Avalanches.
The Utah goaltenders will soon start an uprising against their offense, as they've been doing plenty to lead their team to victories. The team's goaltending will improve even more now that Connor Ingram is back from an injury, and he had a good return, allowing two goals on 34 shots in a 2-1 loss to the New York Islanders. Karel Vejmelka performed well in his absence, and they've combined for a 2.20 goals-against average and a .920 save percentage over their past five games. Numbers like that would normally lead to plenty of victories, but they have won just two of those five games, and the offense scored six goals combined over the past four games.
The Canadiens feel very confident in their rookie goaltender, especially after his performances against some of the league's top offenses. He will be in a much better position to have another outstanding performance in this game, as Utah's offense has been sputtering for weeks. The value is too good to ignore, so we'll take the Canadiens to tie the season series in this matchup.
Final Canadiens-Utah HC Prediction & Pick: Canadiens ML (+135)
Nate Duffett is a writer for ClutchPoints and a sports junkie at heart, especially for the Boston sports scene. Whether it's covering the NHL, MLB, NBA, NFL, or College Football and Basketball, there is not a sport Nate isn't able to discuss.
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