NHL January 5, 2026

Utah makes their inaugural trip to the World's Most Famous Arena, and the Rangers are treating this like a playoff game. New York's home dominance has been absurd - they're 15-5-2 at MSG and Igor Shesterkin has been a brick wall between the pipes.

The Mammoth have been road warriors themselves, going 9-10-3 away from Salt Lake. That's respectable for a first-year franchise finding its footing. Clayton Keller has been their offensive engine, but he'll face the toughest defensive assignment of his career against Adam Fox and company.

The market's pricing this correctly. Rangers are the clear favorite, but -175 on the moneyline is rich. The puck line at -1.5 feels like a trap because Utah plays tight defensive games and keeps things close. Under 6 is where the value lives - both teams trend toward low-scoring affairs.

**LEAN: Under 6.0** - Shesterkin shuts the door, Utah limits damage.

Prime Video gets another Original Six rivalry for their Monday Night Hockey showcase. Detroit's been maddeningly inconsistent this season - they'll beat a contender one night and lose to a bottom-feeder the next. That's the life of a young, developing team.

Ottawa's been the more stable operation. The Senators are firmly in the playoff picture with Brady Tkachuk playing MVP-caliber hockey and Tim Stutzle emerging as one of the game's elite playmakers. Their home record is solid at 12-7-1.

The key matchup is in goal. Detroit's inconsistent netminding has cost them games all season, while Linus Ullmark has been steady for Ottawa. That's the difference-maker in a tight divisional game.

**LEAN: Ottawa -140** - Better goaltending and home-ice advantage swing this one.