A couple of teams that are firmly in the playoff hunt, the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Boston Bruins clash at TD Garden. The opening face-off is at 7 p.m. ET on Saturday, December 8, and you’ll be able to see this Original Six matchup live on CBC Sports.
Toronto Maple Leafs at Boston Bruins Odds
Toronto (-120) is being tabbed as the favorite over Boston (+100), and the Over/Under (O/U) has been placed at 6 goals. The odds for betting that total stand at -120 for the over and even money (+100) for the under.
Toronto is 20-9 straight up (SU) and has netted moneyline bettors 5.3 units this season. Through 29 regular season matches, 13 of its games have gone over the total, while another 13 have gone under and just three have pushed. As the road team this season, the Leafs are 11-3 SU.
Toronto has converted on 26.0 percent of its power play chances this season, a figure that’s good enough for eighth-best in the league. On the other hand, its penalty kill is ranked 11th overall, and the team’s successfully killed off 81.4 percent of its penalties.
For the team as a whole, Toronto has been sent to the penalty box just 2.6 times per game overall during the 2018-19 season, and 1.7 per game over its past ten contests. The team has had to kill penalties just 3.4 minutes per game over their last 10 outings.
With a .931 save percentage and 31.2 saves per game, Frederik Andersen (16-7) has been the primary option in goal for Toronto this season. If Toronto decides to rest him, however, the team may roll with Garret Sparks (4-2-1 record, .912 save percentage, 2.95 goals against average).
The visiting Maple Leafs have relied heavily on Mitchell Marner and John Tavares this season. Marner (40 points) is up to six goals and 34 assists, and has recorded multiple points in 13 different games. Tavares has 18 goals and 14 assists to his credit, and has registered a point in 20 games.
Boston is 14-14 straight up (SU) and has lost 4.7 units for moneyline bettors thus far. Through 28 regular season outings, 19 of its games have gone under the total, while eight have gone over and just one has pushed. It’s 9-3 SU at home this year.
Boston has converted on 27.0 percent of its power play chances this year, a figure that’s good enough for seventh-best in the league. On the other hand, its penalty kill is ranked 20th overall, and it’s successfully killed off 77.0 percent of all penalties.
The Bruins have been penalized 4.3 times per game this season, and 3.2 per game over their last five home outings. The team has had to stave off opponent power plays just 7.0 minutes per game over their last five outings.
Jaroslav Halak (28.9 saves per game) has been the primary choice in goal for Boston. Halak has eight wins, eight losses, and two overtime losses and has registered a strong .932 save percentage and 2.25 goals against average this year.
The home team offense will be led by David Pastrnak (20 goals, 12 assists).
Toronto Maple Leafs at Boston Bruins Free Picks
Free NHL Pick: SU Winner \u2013 Bruins, O/U \u2013 Over
Betting Trends
- The total has gone over in each of Toronto’s last five outings.
- Toronto has managed 30.8 shot attempts per game over its last five road games while Boston is averaging 36.8 shots per game over its last five home outings.
- The Maple Leafs are 7-4 when they serve fewer penalty minutes than their opponent and 17-9 in games where they serve fewer than 10 total penalty minutes.
- Boston has created 9.0 takeaways per game over its last five home games, right in line with its season average of 8.8 takeaways per game (ranked 7th in the league).
- Toronto is ranked seventh overall with 8.7 takeaways per game. That figure has trended down lately, however, as it has managed 7.9 takeaways over its last 10 games and 6.0 takeaways over its last five.
