The Utah Hockey Club (8-9-3) meet the Toronto Maple Leafs (12-6-2) Sunday at Scotiabank Arena. Puck drop is scheduled for 7 p.m. ET (NHL Network). Let’s analyze FanDuel Sportsbook’s NHL odds around the Utah Hockey Club vs. Maple Leafs odds and make our expert NHL picks and predictions.
Season series: First meeting; Maple Leafs won 2-0 in 2023-24 vs. Arizona Coyotes
The Utah Hockey Club make the third stop of a 4-Game road trip in this standalone Game Sunday, and it is playing on no rest. Utah picked up a 6-1 win in Pittsburgh over the Penguins as a moderate favorite (-130) as the Over (6) cashed on Saturday.
Utah is playing its first game on no rest this season. Last season, when the team was located in Arizona, it was 5-4-0 when playing on no rest with a plus-1 goal differential, while the Over was also 5-4-0.
The Maple Leafs blanked the Vegas Golden Knights 3-0 last time out on Wednesday behind G Joseph Woll, who kicked aside all 31 shots he faced. C Fraser Minten was credited with the game-winning goal, while C William Nylander had a power-play goal, and RW Pontus Holmberg had an empty-net goal.
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Utah Hockey Club at Maple Leafs 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 at 7:13 a.m. ET.
- Moneyline (ML): Utah Hockey Club +158 (bet $100 to win $158) | Maple Leafs -192 (bet $192 to win $100)
- Puck line (PL)/Against the spread (ATS): Utah Hockey Club +1.5 (-160) | Maple Leafs -1.5 (+130)
- Over/Under (O/U): 6.5 (O: +114 | U: -140)
Utah Hockey Club at Maple Leafs projected goalies
Karel Vejmelka (2-5-0, 2.21 GAA, .927 SV%) vs. Joseph Woll (4-2-0, 2.00 GAA, .922 SV%, 1 SO)
Vejmelka started Saturday’s Game in Pittsburgh, and he might be pressed into action with no rest. That’s because Connor Ingram is nursing an upper-body injury, and he is considered day to day. The team recalled Jaxson Stauber from Tucson of the AHL on an emergency basis.
If Stauber makes his Utah debut, it would be his first NHL appearance since 2022-23 when he was with the Chicago Blackhawks. He was 5-1-0 with a 2.81 GAA and .911 SV% in his first 6 NHL starts.
Woll has won 3 consecutive starts since Nov. 9, and he has allowed just 4 goals on 79 shots in the span. He has a 1.74 GAA and .931 SV% in 4 outings in November.
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Utah Hockey Club at Maple Leafs picks and predictions
Prediction
Maple Leafs 4, Utah Hockey League 2
Moneyline
The Maple Leafs (-192) will cost you nearly 2 times your potential return, and that’s just a little too much risk, even if the Utah Hockey Club (+158) is in a tough spot.
Utah was impressive in Pittsburgh on Saturday, but it is facing a goalie crunch. Whether it uses Vejmelka again for a second straight day, or the AHL recall Stauber, the Utah Hockey Club cannot be trusted.
AVOID.
Puck line/Against the spread
The MAPLE LEAFS -1.5 (+130) are a better play laying the goal and a half at plus-money.
Toronto picked up the 3-0 win against the Vegas Golden Knights behind Woll on Wednesday, and it is well rested.
On the flip side, the Utah Hockey Club +1.5 (-170) is back on no rest, and whether it’s Vejmelka or Stauber in between the pipes, this team is in a bad way playing on no rest against a team which hasn’t played since Wednesday.
Over/Under
The UNDER 6.5 (+110) is an intriguing play at plus-money.
Yes, Utah is coming back on no rest after playing Saturday in the Steel City, and it posted the Over in that victory. However, the Under has cashed at a 4-2-2 clip in the previous 8 Games, and it is 10-4-2 in the past 16 outings.
For the Maple Leafs, the Under cashed last time out against VGK, while the total has gone low at a 6-2 pace in the previous 8 Games.
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