Neither team lit the world on fire last season, and this year won't be any different. Expect Mrazek and Ingram to tell the story of Utah's home debut.
NHL
The Utah Hockey Club host the Chicago Blackhawks in this season-opening tilt, with Utah fans getting their first regular season game.
My Blackhawks vs. Utah predictions are optimistic on the Under, primarily due to the goaltending matchup.
Read on for my NHL picks for Tuesday, October 8.
My best bet
Under 6 (+102 at DraftKings)
My analysis
Goaltender Petr Mrazek was one of the few bright spots for the Chicago Blackhawks last season, earning himself a nice extension. Mrazek posted a .907 SV% and 3.05 GAA through 56 appearances in the crease despite playing behind one of the worst teams in hockey
This success is likely to continue against the Utah Hockey Club, a team Mrazek boasts a .927 SV% against over the past five meetings. That trend shouldn’t be surprising, given Utah finished last season ranked 20th in expected goals per 60 minutes (xGF/60) at 5-on-5.
The Hawks weren’t any better. In fact, they were even worse, finishing last in the league in the same category.
Chicago made some additions in the offseason to make the offense slightly better, bringing in the likes of Teuvo Teravainen and Tyler Bertuzzi. However, this increase in skill isn’t substantial enough to move them much closer to the league average from their previous last-place ranking in offensive efficiency.
Connor Bedard will certainly have his moments, but this offense will struggle against goaltender Connor Ingram, who is slated to guard the cage for Utah. Through 50 appearances between the pipes last season, Ingram posted a .907 SV% and 2.91 GAA.
Under 6.5
Teuvo Teravainen 2+ shots on goal
Clayton Keller 3+ shots on goal
While Bedard receives most of the attention for his release and dynamic goal-scoring ability, his passing game is severely underrated. As a young franchise player and, quite frankly, the only legitimate scoring threat in this lineup, Bedard was hounded by opposing defenses in his rookie campaign.
Out of necessity, he had to pass often, but those passes led to a career year from his linemate Philipp Kurashev. I expect similar success for Teravainen.
The winger will benefit the same way Kurashev did last year, and we already saw a glimpse of this when he recorded one goal on five shots in his pre-season debut against the Minnesota Wild.
Meanwhile, Clayton Keller will look to make an impact in his first game as captain of the Utah Hockey Club. Keller has recorded at least three shots on goal in each of his past five games against Chicago.
Learn how to bet a same-game parlay with these helpful tips and strategies.
There were six or fewer total goals scored in nine of Chicago’s final 11 games last season. Find more NHL betting trends for Blackhawks vs. Utah HC.
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Tony Sartori has written over 1,000 pieces of sports betting content across multiple different media outlets. He covers the NHL, UFC, PGA, NFL and MLB. Tony started part-time while attending the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where he went on to receive a B.A. in Economics and a certificate in Entrepreneurship in 2022. He continues to work full-time in the sports betting landscape.
Due to the variety of sports he covers, Tony is handicapping every day. If he had one piece of betting advice for a new sports bettor, it would be to strictly enforce bankroll management rules for yourself. If you set aside $10,000 for your betting bankroll, then you should generally only be betting between $100 – $500 per play.
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