This Ranger no stranger to goals

See ya next year, "Thursday Night Football." Primetime regular-season football is all but over, so Thursdays will look a bit different around here moving forward. A quick glance at the schedule shows us a night dominated by hockey, so that's where we turn for our favorite plays.

We're expecting some goals

There are 10 games on the docket, and two spots in particular look primed for goal-scoring: the New York Rangers and Toronto Maple Leafs. We'll explain why and who we're loading up to get in on the fun.

Chris Kreider goal (+155 Caesars)

The Rangers will visit the Canadiens tonight in Montreal, and while we tend to gravitate toward the home team for scoring, New York is one of those rare teams that tends to do more damage away from its home arena. In New York, they're averaging 2.95 goals per game, but when they skate on the road, they've averaged 3.53 per contest.

Couple that average with Montreal allowing 3.9 goals per game at home, and already the Rangers look primed for scoring. Where the true advantage begins to come through is on the power play. Over the last 10 games, New York is scoring at the fifth-highest rate when handed a power-play opportunity. That will shine tonight here, as Montreal has been one of the most heavily-penalized teams of late, an issue made worse by its league-worst 56.4% penalty-killing rate.

Chris Kreider is one of the most involved shooters on New York's power play, has 19 shots on goal and three goals in his past three road games, and has scored in two straight games against the Canadiens. Look his way tonight.

Auston Matthews goal (+102 Caesars)

This one is a bit more simple. Auston Matthews is rolling for the Maple Leafs, with a goal in eight of his last 11 games in Toronto. We certainly expect goals here against the Kraken, who allow 3.4 goals per game on the road and just always seem to find themselves in high-scoring affairs.

Matthews had a hat trick the last time the Kraken came to town, scoring once on the power play. Similar to the look above, we see quite the power-play edge favoring Toronto tonight, and wouldn't be surprised if Matthews notches this goal while skating a man up.

In the news ...

Kliff Kingsbury could be on his way out — It appears the Arizona Cardinals will be firing head coach Kliff Kingsbury at season's end, with reports indicating the decision is all but final. The Cardinals are currently 4-12, and a loss in Week 18 would tie their most losses ever in a season, though the expanded schedule plays a part there. Both Kingsbury and GM Steve Keim just signed contract extensions this past March, tying them to the franchise through 2027, yet both are expected to be fired. Arizona seems to be blowing it up.

Max Pacioretty activated for Carolina Hurricanes — It's remarkable to say, but less than five months after having surgery to repair a torn Achilles, Max Pacioretty is back. Pacioretty, 34, has been one of the NHL's best goal scorers for years and will be making his Carolina debut Thursday after being acquired from the Vegas Golden Knights this summer. The Hurricanes own the NHL's second-best record, and with Pacioretty now in the fold, one has to consider them a great bet to win the Stanley Cup in June. DraftKings has the Canes at +900 to hoist the Cup.

Rafael Devers gets huge deal from Boston — The latest big MLB contract has been handed to star third baseman Rafael Devers, who is expected to finalize an 11-year, $331 million contract to remain with the Boston Red Sox. Devers, 26, hit .295 last season with 27 HRs and 88 RBI. Entering his prime, he's a cornerstone for Boston as they look to regain their position among the AL's best. Currently, Boston is +3000 to win the pennant, the fourth-worst odds in the American League.

Today's Bark Bets is written by Griffin Carroll