With the series tied at one game apiece, the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Boston Bruins meet in the critical Game 3 of the NHL playoffs’s first round. The action gets going at 7 p.m. ET on Monday, April 15 and it can be caught live on NBC Sports Network.
Boston Bruins at Toronto Maple Leafs Odds
With a moneyline of -120, Toronto comes into the contest as the favorite. The line for Boston sits at +100, and the oddsmakers have put the Over/Under (O/U) at an even 6 goals. The odds for betting the total stand at -120 under, +100 over.
Boston is 50-34 straight up (SU) and has earned moneyline bettors 0.9 units this season. 45 of its contests have gone under the total, while 35 have gone over and just four have pushed. As the road team this season, the Bruins are 20-21 SU.
The Bruins’ offensive skaters attempted 32.8 shots per game in the regular season, leading to 3.1 goals per contest (ranked 11th overall in the NHL). In the playoffs, the team’s up to an average of 39.5 shots on goal (and down to 2.5 goals per game).
After producing the third-strongest power-play unit in the regular season (converting 26.1 percent of all chances), the Bruins have connected on 33.3 percent of their extra-man advantages in the early stages of this postseason.
Averaging 24.9 saves per game with a .914 save percentage, Tuukka Rask (28-20-5) has been the top option in goal for Boston this year. If head coach Bruce Cassidy decides to rest him, however, Boston might go with Jaroslav Halak (22-18-4), who has a .922 save percentage and 2.34 goals against average this year.
On the other side of the ice, Toronto is 47-37 straight up (SU) and has lost 13.6 units for moneyline bettors thus far. 40 of its contests have gone over the total, while another 40 have gone under and just four have pushed. It’s 23-18 SU at home this year.
The Maple Leafs have converted on 20.7 percent of their power play opportunities this season, a mark that’s good enough for ninth-best in the league. On the other hand, its penalty kill is ranked 16th overall, and it’s successfully killed off 79.9 percent of all opponent power plays.
Frederik Andersen has stopped 30.2 shots per game as the top option in the crease for the Maple Leafs. Andersen has 37 wins, 25 losses, and seven overtime losses to his name and has recorded a .918 save percentage and 2.76 goals against average this year.
Boston Bruins at Toronto Maple Leafs Betting Predictions
Pick: SU Winner – Maple Leafs, O/U – Over
Betting Notes
- Over Toronto’s last ten outings, six of them have been decided by two or more goals (the team is 2-4 in those games).
- The Bruins are 26-16 in games where they serve fewer penalty minutes than their opponent and 33-21 when they’re in the penalty box for fewer than 10 total minutes.
- Boston (2-3 in shootouts) has more experience this season in games decided by shootout. Toronto is winless in two shootouts this year.
- The total has gone under in four of Toronto’s last five outings.
- Boston is ranked 13th this season with 9.8 giveaways per game. That figure’s trended lower recently, however, as it’s averaged 7.0 giveaways over its last 10 games and 5.6 giveaways over its last five.
- Toronto is ranked 25th this season with 12.2 giveaways per game. That figure has regressed recently, as it’s averaged 14.9 giveaways over its last 10 games and 14.0 giveaways over its last five.
