When they woke up on Monday, the Utah Hockey Club was 7-11-4 at home. Their Monday opponents, the Winnipeg Jets, were 13-8-0 on the road. Naturally, the second-place Jets were the heavy favorites in the game at the Delta Center.

SALT LAKE CITY -- Barrett Hayton scored and had two assists, and the Utah Hockey Club defeated the Winnipeg Jets 5-2 at Delta Center on Monday.

The Jets, who lead the Central Division by five points and sit second in the NHL rankings, came into Delta Center winning three of their last four games. Utah did not let the numbers get in its head and put forth a high-paced, even-keeled effort which earned it two more points in the Western Conference playoff race.

Being atop the Western Conference won’t preclude a team from laying an egg, and it certainly won’t make the loss easier to swallow when it does happen.

Utah Hockey Club’s Clayton Keller (9) and Winnipeg Jets’ Josh Morrissey (44) battle for the puck during their last match-up in Winnipeg Nov. 5. The Jets won that game 3-0. (Fred Greenslade / Canadian Press files)

Winnipeg is in a great spot to rebound from a rare loss as they visit the slumping and shorthanded Utah Hockey Club, as Neil Parker explains in his NHL betting picks for Monday night.

The Winnipeg Jets will play the first of two road games tonight as they play in Utah for the first time. The Jets and Utah HC have met just one time this season, with the Jets coming out on top 3-0. Nino Niederreiter scored twice that night,

A season-long seven-game homestand concludes tonight as the Utah Hockey Club (19-19-7) hosts the Western Conference-leading Winnipeg Jets (31-13-3) at Delta Center. Utah picked up its second win of the homestand with a 4-2 victory over the St.