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The St. Louis Blues (8-8-2) and Utah Mammoth (10-8-1) will meet in the NHL tonight. Puck drop is set for 9:00 p.m. EST at Delta Center in Salt Lake City, Utah. The game will broadcast live on ESPN+.
The Utah are favored at -115 on the moneyline, with the Blues -105 to pull off the upset. The over/under is set at 5.5 (-139o / +116u).
Let's get into our Blues vs. Utah predictions and NHL picks.
Blues vs. Utah Prediction
Our St. Louis vs. Utah best bet is on Jack McBain to go under his shots on goal total, with the best odds currently available at DraftKings. For all of your NHL bets, be sure to find the best lines by using our live NHL odds page.
Blues vs Utah Odds
- Blues vs. Utah puck line: Utah -1.5 (+205 ), Blues +1.5 (-254)
- Blues vs. Utah over/under: 5.5 (-139o / +116u)
- Blues vs. Utah moneyline: Blues -105, Utah -115
- Blues vs. Utah best bet:Jack McBain Under 1.5 Shots on Goal (-130, DraftKings)
Blues vs. Utah Preview
The St. Louis Blues (8-8-2, 18 points) enter Thursday night’s contest sitting seventh in the NHL’s Central Division. Under head coach Jim Montgomery, St. Louis has built its identity on defensive structure rather than offensive firepower, ranking 10th in the league in goals against (55) while sitting 21st in goals scored (53).
The Blues snapped a brief skid in their last outing on Tuesday, grinding out a 3-2 home victory over the Detroit Red Wings behind a 30-save performance from goaltender Joel Hofer and goals from Pius Suter, Jimmy Snuggerud, and Justin Barron. St. Louis has played a demanding early-season slate—ranking seventh in strength of schedule (0.19 SOS)—and will look to carry its recent defensive discipline on the road, where it holds a 3-6-1 record.
The Utah Mammoth (10-8-1, 21 points) return home to the Delta Center in fifth place in the Central Division, though they arrive on the second night of a back-to-back after a three-game losing streak. Coached by André Tourigny, Utah plays a much looser, higher-event style than St. Louis, ranking 10th in the NHL in goals for (66) but 26th in goals against (68).
The Mammoth are coming off a 5-3 road loss to the Vegas Golden Knights on Wednesday night, a game in which they fell behind during a three-goal second period and managed just 17 shots on net. Utah has also dropped four of its last five games (1-3-1) and is dealing with lineup attrition after forward Nick Schmaltz exited Wednesday's loss with an upper-body/undisclosed injury, making the start of this five-game homestand a critical stretch to regain momentum.
While Jack McBain is coming off a breakout three-point performance (one goal, two assists) against Vegas on Wednesday, his underlying shot-volume metrics strongly favor the Under on shots on goal at 1.5. Across 19 games this season, McBain has recorded just 20 total shots on goal—an average of 1.05 shots per game. Action Network PRO Projections peg him for 1.21 shots on goal tonight, giving the Under 1.5 (-130) a substantial 9.6% betting edge.
A closer look at McBain's 2026-27 game log highlights how consistently he stays beneath this number.
McBain has finished with 1 or fewer shots on goal in 14 of 19 games (73.7%) this season, including eight games with zero shots on net.
McBain’s shot volume drops drastically on home ice. In six home games at the Delta Center this season, he has registered just 4 total shots on goal (0.67 per game), staying under 1.5 shots in five of those six contests (83.3%).
Operating primarily in a bottom-six, physical checking role (76 hits, 12:33 average time on ice), McBain averages just 2.58 total shot attempts (TSA) per game. Even in Wednesday's 14:21 effort against Vegas—his second-highest ice time of the season—he attempted only three total shots.
Facing a St. Louis squad that suppresses scoring chances at a top-10 rate while playing on zero days' rest, McBain is in a prime spot for regression in shots. Fade the recent box-score production and back McBain to stay under 1.5 shots on goal.
Best Bet: Jack McBain Under 1.5 Shots on Goal (-130, DraftKings)
