NHL Islanders vs Utah HC Picks and Odds, January 12, 2025

The New York Islanders continue their road trip against the Utah Hockey Club tonight. Should be a good game vs 2 teams who matchup well. They met once this season in NY and Utah won the game 5-4.

New York comes into this game after winning their last 2 games. With the way this team is, we’ll hit the brakes before calling this a win streak. They’re still 16-18-7 this season and 7th in the Metro Division. The Isles are 4-6-0 in their last 10 games and are 9-9-5 on the road.

This is the 3rd game of the Islanders 3-game road trip. A sweep would be oh so sweet too. Big reason they’ve been successful these 2 games is because they’re finally putting the puck in the back on the net. Scoring 9 goals in 2 games in unheard of for the Islanders, but hopefully there’s plenty more where that came from.

Last game, they finally played some defense, holding Vegas scoreless. Their defense hasn’t been the best season, but they do have one gaped whole on both offense and defense. They are the worst team in the league for both power play and penalty kill. This has to change if they want success the rest of this season.

Goalie Ilya Sorokin is expected in net with Semyon Varlamov still out. He is 13-13-4 this season with a 2.83 GAA and a .902 save percentage. Sorokin recorded his 2nd shutout of the season last game.

Utah will look to get their 2nd win vs the Islander this season

New York rookie Maxim Tsyplakov passes the puck away from Utah defenseman Jusso Valimaki.

Utah is 18-16-7 this season and 6th in the Central Division. They’re coming into this game off a home win over the Sharks last night. This team is still only 3-5-2 in their last 10 games and 6-8-4 at home.

Their offense isn’t the most explosive. They rank 23rd in the league for both goals scored and shots on goal per game. Utah’s shooting percentage is also 22nd, so right in the same area as shots.

On defense, they’re not terrible at all. Utah ranks middle of the league for goals allowed and shots on goal per game, ranking 13th and 18th respectively. Their power play and penalty are 15th in the league, so middle of the pack.

Although the team doesn’t seem exciting on paper, they’re really fun to watch. We should see a back-and-forth game, which I’ll give my lean on shortly. Goalie Connor Ingram is expected in net. He is 6-4-3 this season with a 3.61 GAA and a .871 save percentage. Ingram did miss a large portion of the season due to an injury.

Let’s check out the odds and get into the Islanders vs Utah HC picks.

New York Islanders vs Utah Hockey Club Betting Odds and Game Information

Islanders vs Utah HC Betting Odds

Puck Line

New York Islanders +1.5 (-260)
Utah Hockey Club -1.5 (+205)

Moneyline

New York Islanders +100
Utah Hockey Club -118

Totals

Over 5.5 (-128)
Under 5.5 (+104)

Odds courtesy of BetOnline – Get 50% up to $1000 on your first deposit

Islanders vs Utah HC Game Information

Venue: Delta Center, Salt Lake City, UT
Date: Saturday January 11, 2024
Puck Drop: 9pm EST
TV: MSGSN, Utah16

New York Islanders vs Vegas Utah Hockey Club Prediction and Picks

New York forward Anthony Duclair high fives teammates after scoring a goal.

Islanders vs Utah HC Picks and Predictions: New York Islanders Moneyline (+100) Get 50% up to $1000 Deposit on BetOnline for this pick

So, I was completely wrong about my Isles last game. Not today though – we’re taking them and with confidence. They just knocked off one of the top three teams in the league, which should really be a boost.

Coming into this game off that win is huge. I expect this game to go over the 5.5 goals, although I’m hoping the Islanders didn’t get all the goals out of their system already. Utah will pose a test to the Islanders, but I think with the way they’re playing that they keep it going.

New York is going to want to sweep the road trip as well. I like for Bo Horvat to record 3+ shots on goal at -140. Even though it’s juice, we’re going to pay the man. Bo has hit in 5 straight games and had 5 shots on goal in their 1st matchup this season. He also scored a goal so I’ll be sprinkling that at +240.