Maple Leafs vs. Bruins Game 5 Prediction: NHL Playoffs Betting Odds
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Andrew Rogers
The Bruins pulled out a 6-4 victory in Game 4 to earn just their third in in the last 11 visits to Scotiabank Arena – and they hope their next trip to Canada ends with a trip to the second round of the Stanley Cup playoffs.
Maple Leafs vs. Bruins Stanley Cup Playoffs Betting Analysis
These teams have been about as evenly-matched as rivals can be in recent history; they’ve split their last 10 meetings, with only one instance of a team winning two straight in that span. And with four of those games won by the road team, you can’t simply assume the home team has the edge. Despite this, the Bruins are a red-hot 20-7 SU in their past 27 home games against teams with winning records – though the Leafs are an interesting play here at +125.
The total for this one is 6, carrying over a theme of the series – but while the first three games slid just under that, the fourth went over with emphasis. But while the Maple Leafs and Bruins are 4-1-2 O/U in their last seven meetings at TD Garden, both sides are likely to recommit to defence in hopes of avoiding a 3-2 series deficit. The last three times the teams have combined for six or more goals, they’ve averaged just 4.3 goals in their next meeting.
Toronto Maple Leafs
The Maple Leafs’ defence and goaltending betrayed them in Game 4, and that wasn’t the only thing that went wrong for the Blue and White. They were dominated in the faceoff circle (winning just 41.1 percent of the draws) while allowing goals on Boston’s only two power-play chances and generating only three takeaways. On the plus side, Auston Matthews scored a pair of goals and now has three in two games following a six-game goalless stretch.
Boston Bruins
Boston’s top line finally played like it in that Game 4 win – and you can bet that the trio of Patrice Bergeron, David Pastrnak and Brad Marchand will be looking to carry that momentum into their return to Beantown. Of course, it’s worth considering that the Bruins had been struggling with puck misfortune, boasting a 6.1-percent shot rate through the first three games before enjoying some positive regression with six goals on just 31 shots.
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