Utah Mammoth vs New York Rangers

Artemi Panarin and the Rangers return to Madison Square Garden off that statement 5-1 outdoor win over Florida, while Utah arrives having dropped four of its last six and most recently getting handled 4-1 by New Jersey. With Logan Cooley still on injured reserve and Karel Vejmelka listed day-to-day, the Mammoth are potentially down their most dynamic center and the goalie who backstopped their 3-2 home win over New York in November, a game where Nick DeSimone, JJ Peterka and Vejmelka were the stars. The current ESPN rosters confirm Utah will lean heavily on Dylan Guenther and Clayton Keller for offense, while New York’s top-end remains intact with Panarin, Mika Zibanejad, Vincent Trocheck and Adam Fox driving a power play north of 21% against a Mammoth penalty kill that’s good but not elite. At five-on-five, Utah’s slight edge in goals per game (3.02 vs 2.60) is offset by the Rangers’ tighter defense, better special teams and home-ice urgency as they sit just outside the Metro playoff spots, making -125 a fair but not cheap price on the more complete, healthier side. I’d grade Rangers moneyline a B+ play: solid edge at home with moderate value, but not enough to push it into premium territory given Utah’s ability to generate offense and the Mammoth having already shown they can beat this group. Odds and availability are subject to change. This bet was made at 05/01/2026 09:23

Given how these teams are trending, 5.5 feels like a relatively soft total despite two respectable defensive profiles. Utah’s games have been opening up of late, with recent results like 7-2 over the Islanders, 4-3 vs Nashville and 4-3 vs Winnipeg showing how much offense Keller, Guenther, Peterka and their mobile blue line can produce, even if the finishing can be streaky. New York’s numbers are lower-event on paper (2.60 GF and 2.72 GA per game), but the current stretch has included high-scoring nights such as 7-3 and 6-3 versus Washington and a 5-1 win over Florida, driven by Panarin rediscovering his touch and the top unit producing on a 21% power play. With Utah’s power play still below league average but facing a merely middle-of-the-pack Rangers penalty kill, and both sides fighting for every point in a tight playoff bubble situation that often leads to late-game scoring pushes and pulled-goalie chaos, the path to at least six goals is pretty clean. Over 5.5 at -125 gets a B from me: the price is a bit rich, but the mix of Utah’s offensive tilt and New York’s recent scoring spike makes the Over slightly more attractive than the Under. Odds and availability are subject to change. This bet was made at 05/01/2026 09:23

Utah +1.5 on the puckline is expensive, but the way these teams play suggests another one-goal script is more likely than not. The only prior meeting this season finished 3-2 for the Mammoth in Utah, and New York’s recent schedule is littered with tight decisions (3-2 vs Dallas, 3-2 vs St. Louis, 2-1 at Columbus, plus multiple one-goal losses) that reflect a roster built more for structure than blowouts. Even with Cooley sidelined and Vejmelka banged up, the Mammoth’s current roster still rolls out enough proven NHL scoring — Keller, Guenther, Lawson Crouse, Nick Schmaltz and a blue line featuring Sean Durzi, Mikhail Sergachev and John Marino — to trade chances and stay within a goal most nights, especially against a Rangers group missing some depth (Noah Laba, Conor Sheary, Adam Edstrom) and leaning heavily on aging Jonathan Quick. With both clubs hovering around the playoff cut line in their divisions and every point magnified just past the season’s midpoint, a conservative Utah +1.5 approach makes sense, though the steep -225 price tag caps the value. I’ll grade this pick a B-: high probability of cashing in a close, playoff-style game, but the return is thin for the risk you’re taking. Odds and availability are subject to change. This bet was made at 05/01/2026 09:23