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Andrew Rogers
Toronto Maple Leafs vs. Boston Bruins: Game 1 Prediction, NHL Playoffs
The teams finished seven points apart in the Atlantic Division standings, but the Maple Leafs might have a minor psychological edge after winning three of four regular-season meetings.
Maple Leafs vs Bruins Stanley Cup Playoffs Betting Analysis
Boston has the edge in Game 1 after putting together an impressive 50-win campaign while finishing just one point behind the Tampa Bay Lightning for top spot in the conference. The Bruins have taken care of business at home, winning 22 of their past 29 games at TD Garden. But the Maple Leafs come in playing some inspired hockey themselves, having won 10 of 14 overall while going 15-7 in their past 22 games on three or more days of rest.
Recent totals trends for both teams suggest that the over might be the stronger play. Toronto has converted the over in six of its previous seven games away from Air Canada Centre and is 12-2 O/U in its last 14 against teams with winning records. Meanwhile, Boston has three overs and three pushes over its previous six home games. But the team’s head-to-head history screams under – the teams have gone below the number in six of their last nine meetings. Check out our betting guide for more details on how to bet the over/under.
Toronto Maple Leafs
The Maple Leafs are one of only a handful of teams whose Stanley Cup odds didn’t fluctuate that much over the course of the season; Toronto comes in at +1,000 to end its 51-year title drought, the seventh-best odds of any team in the postseason. But with the Bruins owning home-ice advantage, the Leafs are just +106 to win the series; you’ll get +1,800 on an unlikely Toronto sweep, or +547 for Toronto to prevail in seven games.
Boston Bruins
The Bruins rode that 2013 stunner over Toronto – a series in which Boston rallied from a 4-1 deficit in Game 7 – to reach the Stanley Cup final later that spring, but things haven’t gone so well against the Leafs of late, with the Bruins having lost seven of the last eight meetings. Fancy another seven-game Boston win? You’ll get +354 odds on that, while Brad Marchand is +105 to outscore Toronto counterpart Auston Matthews (+105) in the series.
