Maple Leafs vs Bruins Betting Analysis: Rivals Meet Without One Key Player
Maple Leafs’ Auston Matthews Could Miss The Game
Odds Peg Boston as Favorites Despite Recent Loss
It took 23 games before the Boston Bruins’ point streak at home snapped. The Bruins got blanked by the Kraken, which was also the first time the team failed to score a goal all season.
Amidst that trouble result, the NHL odds still favor Boston (-150) to bounce back even against an old rival. There is a lot to break down in this Maple Leafs vs Bruins betting analysis as Boston hosts Toronto without one of its best players.
Maple Leafs vs Bruins
Game: Toronto Maple Leafs (26-10-7), Boston Bruins (32-5-4)
Location: TD Garden, Boston
Day/Time: Saturday, 7:00 p.m. ET
Streaming: Live Stream Sports
Maple Leafs Offense Has Come and Gone
Typically, most NHL teams can get by even without their best player. But losing the reigning Hart Trophy winner might just slow the prolific Maple Leafs down.
Matthews, who has been dealing with an injury that’s been “lingering for a while” missed his first game against the Nashville Predators on Wednesday. He also missed the next one against Detroit. Toronto went 1-1 and scored a total of three goals in this span.
“I’d say he’s day-to-day,”
“He’s obviously out there putting in lots of work and all, that so he’s not too far away and improving daily.” Maple Leafs head coach Sheldon Keefe said of Matthews’s status prior to Toronto’s game against Nashville on Wednesday.
Matthews became the first NHL player to hit the 60-goal mark in over a decade last season. This NHL season, he is tied for second on the team with 20 goals. Toronto’s shooting percent is also at its peak when he’s on the ice (13.2 percent). Fortunately, Toronto still has a rich crop of offensive playmakers so their hot-and-cold offense has a chance to spark Boston.
Toronto puts up 3.29 goals per road game, which is 10th per the NHL scores and standings.The Leafs’ power play (PP) needs to improve from its 19 percent success rate, however. The Leafs are 4-0-1 when it scores more PP goals than its opponents as a visitor. When they don’t, they are just 7-7-2.
Boston has the second-best penalty kill (85.9 percent) among home teams. And on 5-on-5, Boston is +20 in goals. Toronto won on its last trip to the TD Garden but overall, the Leafs are just 4-9 in their last 13 games in Boston.
As far as this Maple Leafs vs Bruins betting analysis goes, the Leafs need to find ways to score against Boston even without Matthews.
Bruins Reeling From First Home Loss
All good things come to an end as they say. Getting blanked by the Kraken is surprising even if Seattle is the hottest NHL team right now. Seattle outshot Boston 31-27 and faced them evenly in puck possession when the game was close.
“We weren’t a second late, we were two seconds late on everything,”
” We just couldn’t see the plays that were there to be made all night. We’re not happy with how we played.”
Boston coach Jim Montgomery said.
That’s alright for Boston’s backers. The team may have let them down this game (as -235 favorites), but Boston is still highly profitable.
The Bruins would have bettors up $563 if they bet $100 on them for every home game. The Bruins are also 13-10 on the puck line so there’s extra cash there.Most notably, the Bruins are one of the healthiest teams. Only winger Jake DeBrusk (fibula) is on their NHL injury report. David Pastrnak is a Hart Trophy candidate with 32 goals and 58 points in 41 games. Brad Marchand has not missed a beat and has 37 points in 33 games. And Patrice Bergeron is likely on his way to winning a sixth Selke Trophy as the NHL’s best two-way center.Â
Boston has always been an elite two-way team. But under Jim Montgomery, the Bruins unlocked its offensive capabilities. The Bruins are +38 as a home team and are ranked in the top five in almost every major metric. Losing against Seattle may just reignite this team and it will light up Toronto as this Maple Leafs vs Bruins betting analysis predicts.
