WA-TOR-KniesOnFire Thursday night is the ultimate opportunity for NHL fans, with a loaded lineup of thrilling matchups that fans eagerly anticipate. One game that stands out on the schedule is the red hot Toronto Maple Leafs looking to win their sixth straight game when traveling to Raleigh to take on a Carolina Hurricanes team that has lost five of their last eight games. For bettors, this matchup provides a chance to capitalize on some of our recent strong trends, like our 15-7 record on our last 22 picks and our 14-6 record on our last 20 player prop picks. All betting lines are from Bet365 and are subject to change. Hockey is a difficult sport to predict so please gamble responsibly. Bet: Hurricanes ML (-175), Matthew Knies Over 0.5 points (+120), Maple Leafs Hurricanes Over 5.5 goals (-115) The Hurricanes have been dominant at home this season with a 15-5-0 record, the fourth-best offence with a 3.80 goals per game average and a 2.55 home goals against average, that is tied for seventh-best in the NHL. Toronto will look to stay in the fight as they've won five straight games heading into Thursday. The Leafs have also won five straight road games, where they outscored their opponents 21 to 11 and could help them in this matchup as they've scored three or more goals in two of their last three road games against the Hurricanes. Carolina has started to make a habit of beating Toronto with four straight wins, making it 664 days since the Leafs last beat them. They will need Matthew Knies to continue his rampant hot streak with five goals and two assists for seven points in his last three games. Knies has only played the Hurricanes three times in his career and in those games he recorded no points and the Leafs losing each game. However, I wouldn't count him and the Leafs offence out of this one as the Hurricanes will likely start Russian netminder Pyotr Kochetkov, who has a 3.48 goals against average but a 3-1-0 record in four career games versus Toronto. People will want to jump on the William Nylander wagon as he's gone eight games without a goal and four games without a point but the Swedish winger has just one goal and no assists in his last five games against Carolina. He may snap his point drought Thursday but likely not with a goal. Toronto is overdue for a win in this matchup but it likely won't happen as they have two winning streaks that should likely come to an end while Carolina is coming off a disappointing 3-2 loss to the Bolts on Tuesday and will look to rebound. They will have to combat against the high-flying Leafs offence, which makes the over in this spot a good play as these two teams have totalled six or more goals in ten of their last 17 matchups. Check Out: Oilers Road to Second Stanley Cup Finals May Be Tougher Than Expected [https://thehockeynews.com/betting/futures/oilers-road-to-second-stanley-cup-finals-may-be-tougher-than-expected] Check Out: Team Canada, Team USA Listed As Co-Favorites To Win The 4 Nations Face-Off [https://thehockeynews.com/betting/futures/team-canada-team-usa-listed-as-co-favorites-to-win-the-4-nations-face-off-in-february] Check Out: Colorado Avalanche Deal Former All-Star Goaltender to San Jose Sharks [https://thehockeynews.com/betting/futures/colorado-avalanche-deal-former-all-star-goaltender-to-san-jose-sharks] Check out The Hockey News Betting Roundtable forum to get involved in the conversation by sharing your picks in the comment section below
