The Utah Hockey Club (8-10-3) and Montreal Canadiens (7-11-2) tangle Tuesday at the Bell Center. The opening faceoff will be at 7 p.m. (ESPN2). Let’s analyze FanDuel Sportsbook’s NHL odds around the Utah Hockey Club vs. Canadiens odds and make our expert NHL picks and predictions.
Season series: First meeting; teams split 1-1 last season when Utah was the Arizona Coyotes
Utah is closing out a 4-Game road swing. The club is 1-2-0 on the trip and 1-4-0 since Nov. 15. Utah’s last Game was a 3-2 loss Sunday at the Toronto Maple Leafs.
The Canadiens have had 2 off days since losing 6-2 to the Vegas Golden Knights Saturday. The 6 goals allowed were more than Montreal had yielded in going 2-1-0 over its previous 3 games.
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Utah Hockey Club at Canadiens odds
Provided by FanDuel Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list of NHL odds. Lines last updated Monday at 10:05 p.m. ET.
- Moneyline: Utah Hockey Club -142 (bet $142 to win $100) | Canadiens +118 (bet $100 to win $118)
- Puck line (PL)/Against the spread (ATS): Utah Hockey Club -1.5 (+172) | Canadiens +1.5 (-215)
- Over/Under (O/U): 6.5 (O: +112 | U: -138)
Utah Hockey Club at Canadiens projected goalies
Connor Ingram (6-4-3, 3.61 GAA, .871 SV%) vs. Sam Montembeault (6-9-1, 3.08 GAA, .899 SV%)
Its been more than a week since Ingram was last between the pipes. His last game was Nov. 18 vs. the Washington Capitals when the 27-year-old was pulled 26 minutes and 4 goals into that one. Ingram owns a lackluster .864 SV% over his last 8 games.
Montembeault started the Saturday game against Vegas and was lifted for a replacement after yielding 5 goals in 2 periods. He had allowed just 3 goals over his previous 194 minutes. The 28-year-old owns a mere .888 SV% on the road, but he’s clocked a .903 figure at home.
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Utah Hockey Club at Canadiens picks and predictions
Prediction
Canadiens 3, Utah Hockey Club 2
Moneyline
If Ingram gets the goaltending nod for Utah, that’s a green check mark in the Montreal column. Expected-goal analytics are not as bearish on the Canadiens’ defensive numbers (3.80 goals allowed per game, 31st NHL). Per NaturalStatTrick, the Habs have yielded a woeful 3.56 5-on-5 goals per 60 minutes, but expected-goal numbers peg that as a more reasonable 3.01.
Recent games have seen Montreal being stingier in allowing high-danger looks, and a shaky penalty kill may be getting right (9-for-9 in last 3 games).
Mix in better-at-home Montembeault as the probable netminder, and MONTREAL (+118) is the value side here.
Puck line/Against the spread
Montreal plus the cushion is a would-be likable play, but any value is muddied by some extra hold for the sportsbook. PASS.
Over/Under
Utah has scored 2 goals or less in 4 of its last 5 games. The Under is 3-1 across Montreal’s 4 contests.
Since Oct. 26, Utah has played 8 road games, and it has scored 3 goals or less in 6 of those games. Recent trends for both sides show defenses allowing fewer looks from the slot.
BACK THE UNDER 6.5 (-138).
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