Pittsburgh Penguins and Utah Mammoth are set for a Monday night showdown at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City.
Pittsburgh is off to a 3-5-1 start, and enters this contest having lost three games in a row. On the other side, Utah is 6-3-0 on the young season but looking to bounce back after a 6-2 loss to Edmonton on Saturday.
Puck drop for this matchup is slated for 9 p.m. ET.
Penguins vs. Mammoth betting picks and predictions
Utah Mammoth -1.5 (+131)
The Penguins can’t wait for their current road trip to come to an end. This matchup against the Mammoth is Pittsburgh’s fourth and final game of their road trip out west, and the first three games have not gone well.
The Penguins lost the first three games of the trip to the Blackhawks, Avalanche and Golden Knights, and all three losses came by multiple goals.
Furthermore, Pittsburgh has been out-scored 16-7 in those contests. The Penguins are now just 1-4-1 on the road this season, and things won’t get any easier against the Mammoth in this matchup.
Utah has a well-rounded forward group that isn’t too dependent on one player.
Clayton Keller is a master facilitator, and he does a great job of setting his teammates up for Grade A scoring chances. Keller already has eight assists through nine games, and his chemistry with Dylan Guenther, Nick Schmaltz, Logan Cooley and Mikhail Sergachev continues to get better and better.
Utah also has a sizable advantage when it comes to the power play. So far this season, Utah’s man advantage is operating at an NHL-high 35.3%. On the other side, Pittsburgh’s power play has struggled to get going, and is converting at a 17.9% clip, which ranks 21st in the league.
Playing on home ice, the Mammoth should be victorious in this one at -187, but given Pittsburgh's road struggles, Utah can win with room to spare at much bigger odds of +131.
Over 6.5 (-130)
The over cashed in the two meetings between these teams last season. In those contests, nine and seven total goals were scored. This Monday night matchup could yield a similar high-scoring result.
As previously mentioned, the Mammoth have a dangerous offensive attack that is firing on all cylinders to begin the season. Utah could be catching Pittsburgh at the right time, as the Penguins have allowed 5.33 goals per game to their opponents on their current road trip.
Furthermore, Pittsburgh’s goaltenders, Arturs Silovs and Sergei Murashov, have combined for a save percentage of .879. Utah should be able to light the lamp at a steady rate in this one.
The Penguins have been held to two goals or fewer in four of their last five games. However, the Mammoth are coming off a game in which they allowed six goals to the Oilers.
Pittsburgh’s offensive ceiling isn’t that of Edmonton’s, but the Penguins should be able to get some momentum going in the offensive zone. Utah goaltender Karel Vejmelka has been solid, but his save percentage still sits well below the .900-mark at .879.
With a total of 6.5, look to the over.
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Penguins vs. Mammoth odds
Penguins | +157 |
Mammoth | -187 |
Puck Line | UTA Mammoth -1.5 |
Total | O/U 6.5 |
Penguins vs. Mammoth player props
Anytime goalscorer
Dylan Guenther (UTAH Mammoth) | +140 |
Nick Schmaltz (UTAH Mammoth) | +160 |
Clayton Keller (UTAH Mammoth) | +185 |
Logan Cooley (UTAH Mammoth) | +210 |
Sidney Crosby (PIT Penguins) | +220 |
Bryan Rust (PIT Penguins) | +225 |
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This article was written by a partner sports writer via Spotlight Sports Group. All odds displayed on this page were correct at the time of writing and are subject to withdrawal or change at any time.
