Utah Hockey Club (0-0) vs Chicago Blackhawks (0-0)
October 8, 2024 at 10:00 PM EDT
The Line: Betting Odds: Utah Hockey Club -185 / Chicago Blackhawks +140 — Over/Under: 6
The Chicago Blackhawks and Utah Hockey Club meet Tuesday NHL action at the Delta Center. Here’s a Chicago Blackhawks vs Utah Hockey Club Prediction. This article will include a Chicago Blackhawks vs Utah Hockey Club Pick.
Chicago Blackhawks Betting Preview
The Chicago Blackhawks are coming off 23 victories and haven’t made the playoffs since the 2019-20 season. The Blackhawks haven’t reached 30 wins in four years, which isn’t something a franchise a that has 3 cups since 2009 is used to seeing. The Blackhawks have a young superstar in Connor Bedard, who makes Chicago worth watching, but the concerns come with the rest of his teammates. Bedard can only do so much. Alex Vlasic is coming off his best season yet and is only 23 years old, while the addition of Ilya Mikheyev comes with experience and more playmaking ability. A consistent goalie duo of Petr Mrazek and Laurent Brossoit could make or break this season for the Blackhawks.
It’s baby steps for the Blackhawks these days, a franchise that has made the playoffs just once since the 2017-18 season.
Utah Hockey Club Betting Preview
The Utah Hockey Club will make their introduction to the NHL and will be led by coach Andre Tourigny, who improved the Coyotes in each of his 3 seasons. The key additions for the Utah Hockey Club include defensemen Mikhail Sergachev, John Marino, Ian Cole, and forwards Kevin Stenlund and Liam O’Brien. Sergachev is probably the standout of the bunch, as he’s in the prime of his career at 26 years old, knows how to win coming over from the Lightning, and is simply a top-10 player at his position. Logan Cooley is also a player to watch, as he racked up 20 goals and 24 assists in his rookie season.
There should be motivation and optimism for the Utah Hockey Club, as we saw the Vegas Golden Knights make the Stanley Cup Final their first season and the Seattle Kraken make the playoffs in their second season.
Why the Utah Hockey Club will win
- The Blackhawks have lost each of their last six games.
- The favorites have won seven of the Blackhawks’ last eight games.
- The Blackhawks have failed to cover the puck line in five of their last six games as underdogs.
- The favorites have won the second period in five of the Blackhawks’ last six games.
Total Goals Facts
- Four of the last five night games between teams from the same division have gone UNDER the total goals line.
- Three of the Blackhawks’ last four night games against Central Division opponents have gone OVER the total goals line.
- The ‘Over 1.5 Goals Period 2′ market has hit in eight of the Blackhawks’ last nine games as underdogs against Central Division opponents.
Chicago Blackhawks Player Prop Facts
- Connor Bedard has recorded at least one assist in each of the Blackhawks’ last six Tuesday night games.
- Philipp Kurashev has recorded at least one point in each of the Blackhawks’ last seven Tuesday night games.
Chicago Blackhawks vs Utah Hockey Club Prediction
The Delta Center should be rocking for their first game, and the Blackhawks were awful offensively last season. However, let’s not fall in love with the excitement factor. The Arizona Coyotes weren’t great last season, and a simple move to Utah doesn’t make things magically improve. The Blackhawks did upgrade the offense a bit, and they’ll still have the best player on the ice. This price is a bit insane. I’ll take my chances with the Blackhawks and sweet plus money price on opening night in the States.