Blue Jackets vs. Bruins Game 1 Prediction: NHL Playoffs Betting Odds
With Tampa Bay’s ouster, the Bruins hold home-ice advantage throughout the playoffs because they finished tied for the second-most points in the league with 107. The other club with 107 was Calgary, which was upset in the first round by Colorado.
Blue Jackets vs Bruins Betting Analysis
It’s the first-ever playoff matchup between the Blue Jackets and Bruins, with Boston favoured at -189 on the series line. The B’s are now +250 favourites at Sports Interaction to win the Eastern Conference title with Columbus at +300. Boston is also the new Stanley Cup leader at +450, while the Jackets are +600.
The Bruins and Blue Jackets played three times in the regular season, but oddly all of them came in the final month – two were blowouts. Boston won the series 2-1, winning its lone home game 2-1 in overtime on March 16. Bruins goalie Tuukka Rask was 1-1-0 with a 4.76 goals-against average and .879 save percentage during the season against Columbus and is 9-4-2 with a .904 save and a 2.74 GAA in his career against the Blue Jackets. Columbus counterpart Sergei Bobrovsky was 1-1-0 vs. Boston with a 5.00 GAA and .852 SV and is 3-6-2 with a .889 save percentage and a 3.90 GAA all-time against the B’s.
Columbus Blue Jackets
Always nice for an NHL team to get plenty of rest ahead of a playoff series, but one has to wonder if all the momentum the Blue Jackets had off their stunning first-round sweep of the record-setting Lightning has vanished considering that series concluded back on April 16. Easily the biggest upset in Stanley Cup playoff history.
Matt Duchene, acquired from Ottawa in late February, led Columbus with seven points (3G, 4A) against Tampa Bay. Artemi Panarin (2G, 3A), set for free agency this summer like Duchene, and defenceman Zach Werenski (1G, 4A) each had five points. Bobrovsky allowed just eight goals to the NHL’s top-rated offense, stopping 109 of 117 shots.
Boston Bruins
Canada’s epic Stanley Cup drought will continue, but should anyone be surprised the Bruins beat the Toronto Maple Leafs 5-1 in Game 7 on Tuesday night? It was Boston’s sixth straight playoff series win over Toronto, tying the third-longest such head-to-head streak in league history. It was also the Bruins’ 15th all-time Game 7 victory, a new league record.
The Bruins took a 2-0 lead in the first period on goals from Joakim Nordstrom and Marcus Johansson and would never look back. Rask was the No. 1 star with 32 saves. He had a 2.32 GAA and .928 SV in the series. Brad Marchand led Boston with nine points (4G, 5A). He had seven points in the regular season vs. Columbus to top the Bruins.
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