Toronto Maple Leafs at Boston Bruins Matchup 4/23/19

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Coming into the matchup with three wins apiece in the series Boston Bruins and the Toronto Maple Leafs meet in a winner-take-all Game 7 of the opening round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. NBC Sports Network will showcase this Original Six matchup, which gets underway at 7 p.m. ET on Tuesday, April 23.

Toronto Maple Leafs at Boston Bruins Odds

Boston (-140) is being picked as the favorite over Toronto (+120) and oddsmakers have put the Over/Under (O/U) at 6 goals. The line for betting the total stands at -110 money on the over and -110 on the under.

The Bruins are 52-36 straight up (SU) and have earned moneyline bettors 0.6 units this year. That winning percentage, ranked fourth in the NHL so far this season, hasn’t moved much from what the team managed during the 2017-18 season (50-32). 47 of the team’s 88 contests have gone under the total, while 37 have gone over and just four have pushed. The team’s 30-14 SU at home this season.

Boston’s offensive skaters attempted 32.9 shots per game in the regular season, resulting in 3.1 goals per contest (ranked 11th overall in the NHL). In the playoffs, the team is up to an average of 36.0 shots on goal 3.0 goals per game.

Following a regular season where they scored on 27.0 percent of all power-play opportunities (the third-best), the Bruins have connected on 43.8 percent of their extra-man advantages in the postseason.

With a .914 save percentage and 25.2 saves per game, Tuukka Rask (30-22-5) has been the top option in goal for the Bruins this year. If they decide to rest him, however, Boston may turn to Jaroslav Halak (22-18-18 record, .922 save percentage, 2.34 goals against average).

The Bruins will continue to look for leadership via Brad Marchand and David Pastrnak. Marchand (109 points) is up to 40 goals and 69 assists and has recorded multiple points 33 times this year. Pastrnak has 40 goals and 47 assists to his name and has recorded at least one point in 47 games.

Toronto is 49-39 straight up (SU) and has earned -14 units for bettors taking the moneyline this year. Through 88 regular season matches, 42 of its games have gone over the total, while an additional 42 have gone under the total and just four have pushed. Toronto’s 25-19 SU as an away team this season.

Toronto has scored on 21.1 percent of its power play opportunities this year, a figure that places it in the top-10 among NHL teams. On the other hand, its penalty kill unit is ranked 16th overall and it’s successfully killed off 78.5 percent of all opponent power plays.

Toronto’s players have been penalized only 2.8 times per game in total this season, 3.0 per game over their last five outings total, and 3.0 per game over their last five road outings. The team’s been forced to kill penalties just 6.3 minutes per game over their last 10 outings.

Frederik Andersen (.918 save percentage and 2.76 goals against average) has been the primary option in goal for Toronto. Andersen is averaging 30.2 saves per game and owns a 39-27-7 record.

Mitchell Marner (28 goals, 70 assists) has been one of the top playmakers on offense for the visiting Maple Leafs.

Toronto Maple Leafs vs. Boston Bruins Free Picks

NHL Pick: SU Winner – Bruins, O/U – Under

Betting Trends

  • For both of these teams, the under has hit in three of their past five matchups.
  • This game features two teams that fire the puck toward the goal a lot. Toronto has registered the league’s fifth-most shots on goal (33.1) while Boston has attempted the ninth-most (32.9).
  • Power plays and penalty kills may play a critical role in this matchup. The Maple Leafs are 15-21 when they serve fewer penalty minutes than their opponent and 43-35 in games where they serve fewer than 10 penalty minutes, in total. The Bruins are 26-17 when the team serves fewer penalty minutes than the opposition and 35-23 in games where total penalty minutes are in the single digits.
  • Boston is ranked 6th this season with 8.6 takeaways per game. That figure has trended lower recently, however, as it has created 6.2 takeaways over its last 10 games and 6.4 takeaways over its last five.
  • Toronto has scored just 2.7 goals per game (while allowing 3.7) over its last three games (0-3 SU over that span).
  • Toronto is ranked seventh in the league with 8.6 takeaways per game. That figure has trended upward, as it’s managed 10.0 takeaways over its last 10 games and 9.4 takeaways over its last five.