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Utah opens the New Year with an early road game at UBS Arena, facing the Islanders on Thursday, January 1 at 3:00 PM with the broadcast on NHLN. The Mammoth are 18-19-3 and trying to steady themselves after a rough three-game stretch, while New York is 22-14-4 and holding firm near the top of the Metro. The market is basically calling this a tight Islanders home edge, and it’s easy to see why. New York is the more stable team overall, but Utah’s shot volume gives them a path if they can get average goaltending and avoid long defensive-zone shifts. The injury situation in net on both sides is what makes this matchup tricky. These are the current betting lines,

Detroit returns home after a productive West Coast trip and now opens a favorable stretch with nine of its next 11 games at home. The Pistons continue to look like the most connected team in the East, backing up their record with defensive intensity and depth. Their 128-106 win over the Lakers featured 21 forced turnovers and 30 points off those mistakes, along with 67 bench points. Miami arrives playing fast and free. The Heat are riding a three-game winning streak and have leaned heavily into pace, averaging over 138 points during the run. Their ability to score early in the shot clock has flipped games quickly, and they already saw how thin the margin is against Detroit after losing

Los Angeles enters the new year playing its best basketball of the season. The Clippers have won five straight and look nothing like the slow, early-season version that struggled to generate clean offense. Kawhi Leonard is driving the turnaround, averaging nearly 38 points during the streak and coming off a career-high 55-point performance. The tempo is faster, the spacing is cleaner, and the confidence is obvious. Utah arrives after a split that showed both sides of its identity. The Jazz defended well against San Antonio but could not slow Boston’s shot-making Tuesday. Injuries continue to thin the rotation, forcing larger roles for younger players and more offensive responsibility on the perimeter. For broader slate context, visit the NBA previews hub.

Washington opens the calendar year with a road game in Ottawa, facing the Senators at the Canadian Tire Centre on Thursday, January 1 at 1:00 PM with ESPN+ carrying the broadcast. The Capitals are 21-14-5 and sitting in the upper half of the East, while Ottawa is 18-15-5 and trying to climb back into the mix in the Atlantic. Ottawa is priced as the favorite at home, and the number is mostly about special teams and game script. The Senators can tilt games with a high-end power play, while Washington has been scoring enough to punish mistakes and keep games from getting too slow. If you’re betting this one, you’re handicapping pace, penalties, and who wins the five-minute stretches when