Coming into tonight’s matchup with three wins each in the series Boston Bruins and the Toronto Maple Leafs meet for a winner-take-all Game 7 of the opening round of the NHL Playoffs. NBC Sports Network will air the matchup, which gets underway at 7:30 p.m. ET on Wednesday, April 25.
Toronto Maple Leafs at Boston Bruins Odds
Toronto (+150) is playing the role of underdog to Boston (-170) and the oddsmakers have put the Over/Under (O/U) at 6 goals. The line for betting the total stands at -110 money on the over and -110 on the under.
Earning 2.8 units for moneyline bettors, Boston is 53-35 straight up (SU) overall this year. That winning percentage, ranked fifth in the NHL so far this season, is an improvement compared to what the team did during last year’s regular season (44-38). Through 88 regular season outings, 44 of the team’s games have gone under the total, while 39 have gone over and just five have pushed. The team’s 30-14 SU at home this year.
The Bruins’ offensive attack attempted 33.1 shots per game in the regular season, leading to 3.3 goals per contest (ranked sixth overall in the NHL). In the playoffs, the club’s maintaining an average of 34.8 shots on goal 3.5 goals per game.
Following a regular season where they found the net on 24.2 percent of all power-play chances (the fourth-strongest), the Bruins have connected on 31.6 percent of their postseason power plays.
Boasting a .917 save percentage and 25.6 saves per game, Tuukka Rask (37 wins, 23 losses, and five OT losses) has been the primary option in goal for Boston this season. If head coach Bruce Cassidy chooses to give him a breather, however, Boston could go with Anton Khudobin (16-16-16 record, .914 save percentage, 2.52 goals against average).
Brad Marchand and David Pastrnak will both spearhead the attack for the Bruins. Marchand (92 points) has produced 36 goals and 56 assists and has recorded multiple points 29 times this year. Pastrnak has 39 goals and 52 assists to his credit and has notched a point in 58 games.
On the other side of the ice, Toronto is 52-36 straight up (SU) and has earned 7.2 units for moneyline bettors this season. Through 88 regular season matches, 45 of its games have gone over the total, while 37 have gone under and just six have pushed. The Maple Leafs are 21-23 SU as a road team this season.
The Maple Leafs enter the matchup with the second-strongest power-play unit in the NHL, as they’ve converted on 24.8 percent of their extra-man advantages this year. On the other hand, its penalty kill unit is ranked 12th overall and it’s successfully killed off 80.4 percent of all penalties.
Toronto’s skaters have been called for penalties only 3.3 times per game in total this season, and 4.8 per game over their last five road outings. The team’s had to kill penalties just 8.7 minutes per game over their last 10 outings.
Frederik Andersen (30.5 saves per game) has been the main choice in the net for Toronto. Andersen has 43 wins, 29 losses, and five overtime losses to his credit, while registering a .917 save percentage and 2.84 goals against average this year.
Mitchell Marner (24 goals, 53 assists) has been one of the primary facilitators on offense for the visiting Maple Leafs.
Toronto Maple Leafs at Boston Bruins Betting Predictions
NHL Tip: SU Winner – Bruins, O/U – Under
Notes
Betting Notes
The over has hit in three of Boston’s last five outings.
Toronto has managed 29.0 shot attempts per game over its last five road games while Boston is averaging 38.2 shots per game over its last five home outings.
The Bruins this season have registered the eighth-most hits per game (23.9), but that average has climbed to 26.6 over their past five home outings.
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