A couple of teams that are squarely in the playoff hunt, the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Boston Bruins clash at TD Garden for an Original Six showdown. The match gets going at 7 p.m. ET on Saturday, February 3, and it is being televised live on CBC Sports.
Toronto Maple Leafs vs. Boston Bruins Odds
Boston (-115) is currently favored over Toronto (-105) and the oddsmakers have set the Over/Under (O/U) at 6 goals (-105 for the over, -115 for the under).
Earning moneyline bettors 6.0 units, Boston is 30-19 straight up (SU) overall in the 2017-18 season. That winning percentage, ranked third in the league so far in this young season, is an improvement compared to what the team did during last year’s regular season (44-38). 27 of its 49 outings have gone under the total, while 21 have gone over and just one has pushed. The team’s 17-10 SU at home this year.
The Bruins have converted on 21.7 percent of their power play opportunities this year, a figure that places them in the top-10 among NHL teams. On the other hand, their penalty kill is ranked fifth overall, and they’ve successfully killed off 83.4 percent of all penalties.
The Bruins, as a collective unit, have been called for penalties 3.8 times per game overall this season, and 2.6 per game over their last five outings home outings. The team has had to stave off opponent power plays for just 5.6 minutes per game over their last 10 matchups, in total.
Sporting a .924 save percentage and 25.5 saves per game, Tuukka Rask (20-13-4) has been the primary option in goal for Boston this year. If head coach Bruce Cassidy chooses to give him the night off, however, the team could turn to Anton Khudobin (10-8-8 record, .924 save percentage, 2.36 goals against average).
The Bruins will continue relying on offensive production via Brad Marchand and David Pastrnak. Marchand (50 points) has tallied 21 goals and 29 assists and has recorded two or more points 16 times this year. Pastrnak has 20 goals and 28 assists to his name and has notched at least one point in 33 contests.
Toronto is 30-23 straight up (SU) and has earned 0.1 units for moneyline bettors this year. A total of 26 of its contests have gone under the total, while 23 have gone over and just four have pushed. As an away team, the Maple Leafs are 16-13 SU so far.
The Maple Leafs have converted on 20.4 percent of their power play opportunities this year, a mark that’s right around league average. On the other hand, its penalty kill unit is ranked fourth overall and it’s successfully killed off 83.6 percent of all opponent power plays.
Toronto’s skaters have been penalized only 3.5 times per game this season, and 2.4 per game over their past ten contests. The team has been forced to kill penalties just 5.4 minutes per game over their last 10 outings.
Frederik Andersen (31.0 saves per game) has been the primary choice in the net for Toronto. Andersen has 25 wins, 18 losses, and four OT losses to his credit, while registering a .922 save percentage and 2.61 goals against average this year.
Leading the offensive counter for the visiting Maple Leafs will be Auston Matthews (23 goals, 17 assists) and William Nylander (10 goals, 28 assists).
Toronto Maple Leafs vs. Boston Bruins Betting Picks
Free NHL Tip: SU Winner – Maple Leafs, O/U – Under
Notes
Betting Notes
Five of Boston’s last ten outings have been decided by two or more goals. The team is 4-1 overall in those games.
Toronto has allowed 2.8 goals per game overall this year, but has given up only 0.8 per contest over the team’s four-game winning streak.
The Maple Leafs are 16-10 SU in games where they serve more penalty minutes than their opponent while the Bruins are 13-5 SU when they spend more time in the box than the opposition.
Boston is 3-2 in games decided by a shootout this season while Toronto is 4-1 in shootouts.
The total has gone under in each of Boston’s last five outings.
Boston is ranked 15th this season with 9.5 giveaways per game. That figure has trended upward lately, as it’s averaged 11.3 giveaways over its last 10 games and 11.2 giveaways over its last five.
Toronto skaters have averaged 8.6 giveaways over its last five home games, an improvement from its season average of 11.6 giveaways per game (ranked 26th in the league).
The Bruins this season have registered the fourth-most hits in the NHL (24.5 per game), but that number has risen to 29.6 over their past five games as the home team.
