NHL picks: Panthers vs. Hurricanes, Stars vs. Blackhawks

It’s another busy Thursday night on the ice! There’s 10 NHL games on the docket, but we’ll highlight our favorite two bets for the evening.

First up, it’s a showdown between the Florida Panthers and the Carolina Hurricanes. Then we’ll look at a matchup between the Dallas Stars and the Chicago Blackhawks.

Florida Panthers (26-10-4) at Carolina Hurricanes (26-9-3), 7:00 p.m. ET

The Hurricanes beat the Panthers in the opener of their two-game series on Tuesday night at PNC Arena, continuing a long run of success against Florida. Carolina should continue the trend and help their backers cash on Thursday evening.

The Canes have won four in a row and seven of their last nine against the Panthers. Jordan Staal had two goals in the 5-2 victory on Tuesday, and Sebastian Aho had three assists.

Carolina has also won six of their last eight overall, outscoring their opponents 24-16 in that span. Vincent Trocheck has given the Hurricanes’ offense a shot in the arm since returning from an upper-body injury five games ago – he has two goals and five assists in that span.

Florida had won six in a row prior to their recent loss to Carolina, but they were beating up on the dregs of the Central Division in the Stars, Detroit Red Wings and Columbus Blue Jackets. Expect the Panthers to take their lumps on Thursday.

NHL pick: Hurricanes -143

Dallas Stars (13-14-10) at Chicago Blackhawks (18-17-5), 8:00 p.m. ET

The Blackhawks topped three goals for the first time in a 12-game span when they beat the Stars 4-2 at the United Center on Tuesday night. A repeat result is hardly guaranteed, but bettors should expect a low-scoring affair in Thursday’s rematch.

The Under is 7-2-1 in the Blackhawks’ last 10 overall, and 5-2 in their last seven home games. Patrick Kane’s scoring touch has been largely absent over the last month. Since March 4, a stretch of 17 games, he’s found the back of the net just three times.

The Stars have gone below the total in four of their last six overall and 10 of their last 13 road games. Dallas’ leading scorer – Joe Pavelski – has been blanked in six of his last seven efforts, and his club is just 2-5 straight-up in that span.

Add to this that the Under is 5-2 in the last seven head-to-head matchups between these two teams, and it’s easy to see which side will prevail in the totals market in this one.

NHL pick: Under