In their first head-to-head meeting of the regular season, the Boston Bruins and the Toronto Maple Leafs face off at Air Canada Centre in an Original Six showdown. The match will get underway at 7 p.m. ET on Friday, November 10, and it will be televised live on New England Sports Network.
Boston Bruins vs. Toronto Maple Leafs Odds
Toronto is 10-7 straight up (SU) and has earned moneyline bettors 0.8 units this season. That winning percentage, ranked 2nd in the Atlantic Division in this young season, is a welcome improvement over the 40-42 record from last year’s regular season campaign. Through 17 regular season matches, 11 of the team’s games have gone over the total, while four have gone under and just two have pushed. The team’s 6-3 SU at home thus far.
The Maple Leafs have converted on 23.2 percent of their power play opportunities this year, a mark that’s good enough for ninth-best in the NHL. On the other hand, their penalty kill is rated 20th overall, and they’ve successfully killed off 79.7 percent of all penalties.
The Maple Leafs, as a collective unit, have been penalized 3.9 times per game overall this season, and 3.0 per game over their last five home outings. The team has had to stave off opponent power plays for just 7.1 minutes per game over their last 10 outings, in total.
Averaging 29.5 saves per game with a .898 save percentage, Frederik Andersen (9-6) has been the top option in goal for the Leafs this year. If the Leafs decide to give him a breather, however, Toronto might roll with Curtis McElhinney (1-1-1 record, .869 save percentage, 4.10 goals against average).
Auston Matthews and Nazem Kadri will each be focal points for the Maple Leafs. Matthews (19 points) has tallied 10 goals and nine assists and has recorded two or more points in six different games this year. Kadri has nine goals and five assists to his name and has recorded at least one point in eight games.
On the other bench, Boston is 6-8 straight up (SU) and has lost 5.3 units for moneyline bettors this year. A total of eight of its outings have gone over the total, while six have gone under and none have pushed. The Bruins are 1-4 SU as the road team this season.
The Bruins have scored on 23.5 percent of their power play opportunities this season, a mark that places it in the top-10 among NHL teams. On the other hand, its penalty kill unit is ranked fourth overall and it’s successfully killed off 87.5 percent of all opponent power plays.
Boston’s skaters have been called for penalties 4.4 times per game this season. Last year, that number was at 4.2, which was the sixth-highest mark in the league. After serving an average of 10.1 penalty minutes per game a year ago (eighth-most in the league), the team’s been forced to kill penalties for 11.6 minutes per matchup this season.
Tuukka Rask (2.77 goals against average and .903 save percentage) has been the primary option in goal for Boston. Rask is averaging 25.2 saves per game and owns a 3-7-2 record.
David Pastrnak (nine goals, seven assists) and Brad Marchand (eight goals, six assists) have been standout playmakers for Boston and will pace the attack for the visiting Bruins.
Boston Bruins vs. Toronto Maple Leafs Betting Picks
Predictions: SU Winner – Maple Leafs, O/U – Over
Betting Trends:
- The over has hit in three of Toronto’s last five games.
- After averaging the most shots in the league last season (32.8 per game), Boston’s attempted 30.1 shots per game overall this season, and 30.9 in its last 10 outings.
- Over Toronto’s last ten outings, seven of them have been decided by two or more goals (the team is 2-5 in those games).
