PuckCast Edge
Every pick is free. The Edge is the rest.
Betting edges, stake sizing, props priced against the line, fantasy tiers and the graded ledger. $14.99 a month in season, or $99 for the year.
PuckCast Edge
Betting edges, stake sizing, props priced against the line, fantasy tiers and the graded ledger. $14.99 a month in season, or $99 for the year.
2026-27 forecast · Sat, Dec 12, 7:00 PM ET
Karel Vejmelka · 0.897 SV%
The preseason ratings make Utah Mammoth 55.9% to win on the road: a modest lean, worth 5.9 points over a coin flip, which grades B. Over a full season those same ratings project UTA for 99 points and CHI for 83.
A preseason forecast from each team's regressed rating and home ice, the ratings behind the projected standings. The full model read, with the starting goalies, rest and form, publishes within seven days of the game and replaces this page’s numbers. How this is calculated
PuckCast's preseason forecast gives Utah Mammoth a 55.9% chance to win on Sat, Dec 12. The matchup detail follows.
UTA controlled play at 5v5 last season, 60.0% of the expected goals to 39.9%.
In goal, neither team has named a starter. Last season Spencer Knight (CHI) saved -12.5 goals above expected to Karel Vejmelka's -22.7, on save percentages of 0.902 and 0.897.
None of that is the model read. This is a rating-and-home-ice forecast; the full prediction, with confirmed goalies, rest and form, priced against the market, publishes inside the seven days before puck drop and replaces these numbers. Utah Mammoth over Chicago Blackhawks is where it starts, not where it ends.
No sportsbook has posted a price for this game yet. Prices usually appear roughly a week before puck drop.
No starter is named this far out. These are each side’s projected starters on the current roster, with last season’s numbers.
UTA
Karel Vejmelka
64 games, 2025-26
CHI
Spencer Knight
55 games, 2025-26
| UTA | Metric | CHI |
|---|---|---|
| 60.0% | xGF% (5v5) | 39.9% |
| — | Shot share | — |
| — | Goals for / game | — |
| — | Goals against / game | — |
| — | Power play | — |
| — | Penalty kill | — |
| — | Faceoffs | — |
Utah Mammoth
| Player | Pos | G | A | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Clayton Keller | R | 27 | 53 | 80 |
 Dylan Guenther | R | 33 | 33 | 66 |
 Logan Cooley | C | 29 | 33 | 61 |
 Nick Schmaltz | C | 22 | 37 | 59 |
Chicago Blackhawks
| Player | Pos | G | A | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Connor Bedard | C | 31 | 52 | 83 |
| Team | Proj. points | Playoff odds |
|---|---|---|
| Utah Mammoth | 99 | 60.8% |
| Chicago Blackhawks | 83 | 25.9% |
Forecast method preseason-elo-v1; ratings as of 2026-08-19.
Final scores from the graded ledger. A loss in overtime also reads L.
Last three seasons: CHI 5, UTA 4
| Date | Game | Final | Our pick |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-10-01 | CHI @ UTA | CHI 0, UTA 6 | UTA hit |
| 2026-03-12 | CHI @ UTA | CHI 3, UTA 2 | UTA missed |
| 2026-03-09 | UTA @ CHI | UTA 2, CHI 3 | UTA missed |
| 2026-03-01 | CHI @ UTA | CHI 4, UTA 0 | UTA missed |
| 2025-10-13 | UTA @ CHI | UTA 1, CHI 3 | UTA missed |
| 2025-03-30 | UTA @ CHI | UTA 5, CHI 2 | UTA hit |
| 2025-03-07 | UTA @ CHI | UTA 3, CHI 4 | UTA missed |
| 2025-02-25 | CHI @ UTA | CHI 1, UTA 2 | UTA hit |
 Patrick Kane | R | 18 | 36 | 54 |
|---|
 Teuvo Teravainen | C | 15 | 29 | 44 |
|---|
 Frank Nazar | C | 16 | 25 | 41 |
|---|
PHI@
CHI
