The Chicago Blackhawks meet the Utah Hockey Club Tuesday in the 2024-25 season opener at Delta Center in Salt Lake City. Puck drop is scheduled for 10 p.m. ET (ESPN/ESPN+). Let’s analyze BetMGM Sportsbook’s NHL odds around the Blackhawks vs. Utah Hockey Club odds and make our expert NHL picks and predictions.
Season series: First meeting
The Blackhawks have a lot of work to do to get back to being competitive, but they added a lot of veterans to do just that. Additions of Fs Tyler Bertuzzi, Pat Maroon, Craig Smith and Teuvo Teravainen were solid, and they grabbed Ds T.J. Brodie and Alec Martinez to help on the back end. G Laurent Brossoit was also a strong addition for depth.
It will be interesting to see if C Connor Bedard can take a step forward after posting 61 points in 68 games in his rookie season.
The Utah Hockey Club name is new, but this is essentially the same roster as last season’s Arizona Coyotes. This team was starting to make some strides before the move, and Utah is getting a good young core. They also made a big splash bringing in D Mikhail Sergachev, who has his name on the Cup in Tampa Bay.
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Provided by BetMGM Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list of NHL odds. Lines last updated at 6:24 a.m. ET.
Petr Mrazek (18-31-4, 3.05 GAA, .908 SV%, 1 SO in 2023-24) vs. Connor Ingram (23-21-3, 2.91 GAA, .907 SV%, 6 SO in 2023-24)
Mrazek had decent numbers at home last season, but he was an absolute train wreck on the road. The veteran was 4-20-1 with a 3.72 GAA and .885 SV% in 25 starts last season. He did not start against the Arizona Coyotes last season, although he appeared in relief with 10 saves on 11 shots.
Ingram was solid last season in home games at cozy Mullett Arena in Arizona, going 14-9-0 with a 2.57 GAA, .915 SV% and 3 SO. However, he struggled with a 1-2-0 mark, 3.72 GAA and .891 SV% in 3 tries against the Blackhawks, so tread lightly.
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Utah Hockey Club 4, Blackhawks 2
The UTAH HOCKEY CLUB (-165) are rather moderate favorites, but it is a good play at its new home.
The atmosphere in hockey-starved Salt Lake City is going to be electric for this debut, as Utah’s capital city officially grows into a 3-team town, if you include Real Salt Lake of the MLS.
Utah has a strong, young core of players, and Ingram was much better last season than Mrazek, who was especially terrible on the road.
If you’re a little more adventurous, UTAH HOCKEY CLUB -1.5 (+145) is not a bad option. Mrazek is a very giving goaltender, and Utah has the potential to be a rather high-octane offense. It wouldn’t be surprising to see Utah secure this puck line cover with an empty-net goal, sending the home fans away from the debut game happy.
The Total (6) is expected to come down on the number.
The offense was rather toothless last season, with the Under going 8-2-1 in the final 11 regular-season contests. However, Chicago’s offense should be punched up a little with some key veteran adds, so it won’t be the same struggling group.
If there was a lean, it would be Over, due to Mrazek’s struggles on the road last season. But the best thing is to just AVOID.
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