Two squads that’ve positioned themselves squarely in the playoff picture, the Boston Bruins and the Toronto Maple Leafs take the ice at Scotiabank Arena. This Original Six matchup will get started at 7 p.m. ET on Monday, November 26 and it will be televised live on New England Sports Network.
Boston Bruins vs. Toronto Maple Leafs Odds
Toronto heads into the game as the noticeable favorite with a moneyline of -140. The line for Boston sits at +120 and the Over/Under (O/U) is placed at 6 goals (-120 for the over, +100 for the under).
The Maple Leafs are 16-8 straight up (SU) and have earned 4.5 units for moneyline bettors this year. That winning percentage, the NHL’s third-best so far this season, isn’t too far off from to what the team posted during the 2017-18 season (49-33). Out of the team’s 24 regular season matches, 13 of them have gone under the total, while eight have gone over and just three have pushed. The team is 7-5 SU at home this season.
Toronto’s converted on 23.0 percent of its power play opportunities this year, a figure that places them in the top-10 among NHL teams. On the other hand, its penalty kill is rated fifth overall, and it’s successfully killed off 82.8 percent of all penalties.
As a team, Toronto has been penalized just 2.6 times per game overall this season, and 1.6 per game over its last five outings home outings. The team’s had to kill penalties for just 4.6 minutes per game over its last 10 outings, overall.
With a .931 save percentage and 29.7 saves per game, Frederik Andersen (12-7) has been the primary goalkeeper for the Maple Leafs this season. If they decide to rest him, however, Toronto might roll with Garret Sparks (4-1-1 record, .924 save percentage, 2.57 goals against average).
The Leafs will continue to rely on offensive production from Mitchell Marner and John Tavares. Marner (30 points) is up to six goals and 24 assists and has recorded multiple points in nine different games this year. Tavares has 15 goals and 12 assists to his credit and has notched at least one point in 16 games.
Boston has lost 0.6 units for bettors taking the moneyline thus far and is currently 13-10 straight up (SU). A total of 16 of its matches have gone under the total, while six have gone over and just one has pushed. Boston’s 5-8 SU as the visiting team this season.
Boston has scored on 28.4 percent of its power play opportunities this year, a figure that places it in the top-five among NHL teams. On the other hand, its penalty kill unit is ranked 20th overall and it’s successfully killed off 78.4 percent of all penalties.
Boston’s skaters have been penalized 4.6 times per game in total this season, 4.6 per game over their past five outings total, and 5.0 per game over their last five road outings. The team has been forced to stave off opponent power plays 12.6 minutes per contest over their last five road games.
Jaroslav Halak (28.4 saves per game) has been the primary choice in goal for Boston. Halak owns an 8-6-2 record, and has registered a .939 save percentage and 1.98 goals against average this year.
Leading the offensive counter for the visiting Bruins will be David Pastrnak (17 goals, nine assists) and Patrice Bergeron (nine goals, 17 assists).
Boston Bruins at Toronto Maple Leafs Betting Predictions
NHL Prediction: SU Winner – Maple Leafs, O/U – Under
Click Here to Start Betting Today!
Notes
Betting Notes
The under has hit in each of Boston’s last five outings.
Boston’s attempted 30.3 shots per contest overall this season (ranked 23rd in the NHL), and 28.0 in its last five road games.
Power plays and penalty kills may prove to be even more critical than usual in the outcome of this one. The Bruins are 7-3 in games where they serve fewer penalty minutes than their opponent and 8-6 when they serve fewer than 10 total penalty minutes. The Maple Leafs are 6-3 when they serve fewer penalty minutes than the opposition and 13-8 when they’re in the box for less than 10 minutes.
Toronto skaters have created 8.6 takeaways per game over its last five home games, a slight drop from its season average of 9.3 takeaways per game (ranked 4th overall).
Boston is ranked eighth overall this season with 8.9 takeaways per game. That figure has trended lower, however, as it has forced 8.1 takeaways over its last 10 games and 6.2 takeaways over its last five.
+++++
