The 36-13-15 Boston Bruins clash with the 36-18-8 Toronto Maple Leafs at the TD Garden on Thursday, March 7 at 7 p.m. ET. The game will air on ESPN+, TSN4, and NESN.
Boston's previous encounter ended in a 2-1 OT loss at home against the Edmonton Oilers on March 5. Meanwhile, Toronto secured a 2-1 victory over the Buffalo Sabres in their last outing game.
Toronto Maple Leafs vs. Boston Bruins: Game Preview
The Boston Bruins are scoring 3.28 goals per game this season and giving up 2.72 goals per outing.
David Pastrnak has been a key offensive force with 38 goals and 52 assists, while Brad Marchand has contributed 26 goals and 28 assists. Charlie Coyle has provided 21 goals and 30 assists.
Jeremy Swayman, in goal, has a 20-6-8 record, maintaining a 2.49 GAA and a .921 SV%.
Meanwhile, the Maple Leafs are scoring an average of 3.58 goals per game, making them the second-best scoring team in the league, but their defense ranks 19th, allowing 3.13 goals per outing.
Their power play efficiency is an impressive 27.6%, placing them second overall. Auston Matthews leads Toronto with 54 goals, 26 assists and 261 shots on goal. He has been complemented well by William Nylander with 34 goals, 50 assists and 251 shots on goal, while Mitch Marner has 24 goals and 51 assists.
In goal, Ilya Samsonov is 16-5-6, with a 3.14 GAA and a .885 SV%.
Toronto Maple Leafs vs. Boston Bruins: Head-to-head and significant numbers
- The two teams have faced off 770 times, in the regular season and playoffs combined.
- The Bruins are 349-316-99-6 against the Maple Leafs.
- In faceoffs, the Bruins have a 49.2% win rate, while the Maple Leafs have a 54.1%.
- On penalty kills, the Bruins boast an 81.9% success rate, while the Maple Leafs are at 78.0%.
Toronto Maple Leafs vs. Boston Bruins: Odds and prediction
Boston has seen success in 30 out of 54 games this season when odds favorite. Among the 36 games with odds shorter than -145, the Bruins have achieved 22 wins, suggesting a 59.2% chance of winning this game.
Conversely, the Maple Leafs have secured five victories in the 10 games where they were underdogs. Toronto has played with odds of +122 or longer in two games this season, splitting the outcomes evenly at 1-1, which implies a 45.0% chance for the Maple Leafs to win.
Prediction: Maple Leafs 4-3 Bruins.
Boston Bruins vs Toronto Maple Leafs: Betting tips
Tip 1: Result: Maple Leafs to win.
Tip 2: Total goals over 4.5: Yes.
Tip 3: William Nylander to score anytime: Yes.
Tip 4: Auston Matthews to score first: Yes.
Tip 5: Bruins to beat the spread: No.