It's a Sunday night showdown in Toronto as we share our NHL odds series and make a Utah Hockey Club-Maple Leafs prediction and pick.
RB Hayek
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The Utah Hockey Club will face the Toronto Maple Leafs on Sunday at the Scotiabank Arena. It's a Sunday night showdown in Toronto as we share our NHL odds series and make a Utah Hockey Club-Maple Leafs prediction and pick.
On Thursday, the Utah Hockey Club lost 1-0 to the Boston Bruins at the TD Garden. Conversely, the Leafs defeated the Vegas Golden Knights 3-0 at home.
This will be the first game of the season between the Utah Hockey Club and the Maple Leafs. Significantly, the Leafs swept the Utah Hockey Club last season when they were the Arizona Coyotes, covering the spread in both games and also winning 4-2 at home.
Here are the Utah Hockey Club-Maple Leafs NHL odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
Utah Hockey Club: +1.5 (-164)
Moneyline: +150
Toronto Maple Leafs: -1.5 (+132)
Moneyline: -182
Over: 6.5 (-110)
Under: 6.5 (-110)
Time: 7 PM ET/4 PM PT
TV: NHL Network
Stream: fuboTV (Free Trial)
When the season began, the Utah Hockey Club had some hope. However, that has evaporated. They are 7-9-3 and several points behind the final wildcard spot in the Western Conference. If they want to contend for a playoff spot, Utah must trade for defensemen to help their backend out and prevent other teams from scoring.
The Utah Hockey Club also needs to improve its scoring. Currently, it is 26th in goals and 25th in assists. Shooting the puck has not been easy, as it is 21st in shooting percentage. Moreover, it is awful with the extra-man attack, as it is 30th in power-play percentage.
Clayton Keller is the best player on the team. Significantly, he has tallied six goals and 10 assists while notching one powerplay marker. The Utah Hockey Club hopes to see more from Dylan Guenther, who has notched two powerplay tallies. Nick Schmaltz still does not have a goal. Yet, he has delivered 13 assists. Defenseman Mikhail Sergachev has been a solid addition, scoring four goals and eight assists, including two powerplay conversions.
The defense and goaltending have been abysmal, and things have worsened. Unfortunately, they are just 20th in goals against. The Utah Hockey Club has also struggled at killing penalties, ranking 26th on the penalty kill. Sadly, goalie Connor Ingram has been poor, sporting a 6-4-3 record with a 3.61 goals-against average and a save percentage of .871, and is now out with an injury. Meanwhile, goalie Karel Vejmelka has done better but had no support, going 1-5 with a 2.37 goals-against average and a save percentage of .922.
The Utah Hockey Club will cover the spread if they can control the puck and build more chances on offense. Then, they must avoid taking penalties.
The Maple Leafs are already without Auston Matthews. However, they suffered another hit in the injury department as Matthew Knies left the game after suffering a head injury against the Golden Knights.
The offense has slightly struggled, especially without Matthews in the lineup. Currently, the Leafs rank 13th in goals and 20th in assists. Shooting the puck has also been a struggle without their best sniper, as the Leafs rank 18th in shooting percentage. Furthermore, they are 16th in power-play percentage.
With Matthews out, Marner has picked up the slack, scoring six goals and 20 assists, including two conversions on the powerplay. William Nylander has been solid, with 13 goals and nine assists, including a remarkable five powerplay tallies. Also, John Tavares is still incredible. Tavares has tallied nine goals and 10 assists, including three markers on the extra-man attack. Likewise, defenseman Morgan Rielly has tallied four goals and nine assists.
The defense and goaltending have improved. Currently, the Leafs are sixth in goals against. Toronto has also improved on the penalty kill, ranking seventh at killing penalties. John Woll is coming off a shutout and is now 4-2 with a 2.00 goals-against average and a save percentage of .922. Meanwhile, Anthony Stolarz is 7-3-2 with a 2.18 goals-against average and a save percentage of .922.
The Maple Leafs will cover the spread if they can pepper the net with shots. Then, they must continue playing good defense, and the goalies must continue to make saves.
The Utah Hockey Club is 10-9 against the spread, while the Leafs are 13-7 against the odds. Moreover, the Utah Hockey Club is 6-4 against the spread on the road, while the Leafs are 9-3 against the odds at home. The Utah Hockey Club is 7-9-3 against the over/under, while the Leafs are 7-11-2 against the over/under.
Utah has looked horrible lately, while the Leafs have looked better than ever. Therefore, it's tough to see a scenario where the Utah Hockey Club can compete. Toronto covers the spread.
Final Utah Hockey Club-Maple Leafs Prediction & Pick: Maple Leafs -1.5 (+132)
RB Hayek has been writing about sports for over a decade and is currently a member of ClutchPoints' Betting team. In addition, he is also a published author of thriller novels, available on Amazon.
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