The Toronto Maple Leafs will look to take a 2-1 series lead when they host the Boston Bruins in Game 3 of their first round Eastern Conference playoff series on Monday night. After a pair of three-goal wins for both teams in Games 1 and 2, let’s find out which one of these Stanley Cup hopefuls is offering the best value heading into Game 3.
Bruins vs Maple Leafs Stanley Cup Playoffs Odds & Pick for Game 3
Per #NHLBruins coach Bruce Cassidy:
Torey Krug and Jake DeBrusk are in. Connor Clifton (upper body) is out. Steven Kampfer enters the lineup. Marcus Johansson is still sick and will not play. pic.twitter.com/XDMBTjlc9b — Boston Bruins (@NHLBruins) April 15, 2019
- When: Monday, April 15, 2019 at 7:00 PM ET
- Where: Scotiabank Arena, Toronto, ON
- TV: NBCSN, NESN, CBC, TVAS
- Live Stream: NHL.tv
- Opening NHL Odds: Boston -105/Toronto -115 (total 6)
Why Bet On Boston
The best reason to back the Bruins is that they’ve got a phenomenal defense that responded to their Game 1 loss in a big way on Saturday night. Boston picked up a commanding 4-1 win over Toronto on Saturday as Brad Marchand, Patrice Bergeron, Charlie Coyle and Danton Heinen all scored for the Bruins and goalie Tuukka Rask stopped 30 shots to get the win.
“Things were getting pretty amped up there toward the end of the game. A lot of emotions. That’s what playoff hockey is all about,” Marchand said. “That’s what we all look forward to, but at the same time you have to control your emotions. It’s not always the easiest thing.”
Toronto forward Nazem Kadri is likely looking at a suspension after his cheap shot on Boston’s Jake DeBrusk in the third period. Kadri drew a game misconduct for cross-checking DeBrusk in the face. Now, the Leafs could be without Kadri and Boston could potentially be without DeBrusk.
“Obviously, he got frustrated,” Bruins forward Chris Wagner said when asked if he thought the hit merited a suspension. “The league can take a look at that and they can decide.”
Team Statistics
Offense- Goals: 3.14
- Shots: 32.85
- PP/PK Percentage: 26.07
- Goals: 2.62
- Shots: 29.52
- PP/PK Percentage: 19.76
Why Bet On Toronto
The best reasons to back Toronto is that they’ve got an explosive offense, they’re back at home and looking to take command of this series by winning Games 3 and 4. After winning Game 1 by the score of 4-1, the Leafs were upended in Game 2. although goalie Frederik Andersen made several stupendous plays in the loss. Toronto’s Nazem Kadri will likely be facing a suspension in Game 3 after losing his cool late against the Bruins on Saturday night.
“It ain’t easy, but at the same time we know that going in. You have to keep your composure,” Leafs forward John Tavares said. “Not everything’s going to go your way. Things aren’t going to be called that you think should be called, and we just have to stay with it.”
Team Statistics
Offense- Goals: 3.46
- Shots: 33.32
- PP/PK Percentage: 20.93
- Goals: 3.05
- Shots: 33.27
- PP/PK Percentage: 20.48
Expert Analysis and Prediction
The Bruins might have taken Game 2 to even this series, but I like Toronto to take care of business in Game 3, seeing as how they’ve gone 23-16-2 on their home ice while Boston went a more modest 20-15-4-2 on the road. Toronto ranks fourth in scoring (3.5 ppg), fourth in shots per game (33.4) eight in power play success (21.8%) and second in face-offs (53.0%).
Boston has gone 1-4 in their last five games against their Eastern Conference counterparts 1-5 in their last six games against teams from the Atlantic Division. Conversely, Toronto has gone 5-1 in their last six games on Monday and a bankroll-boosting 38-17 in their last 55 games as a home favorite. With the home team in this rivalry going 6-2 in the last eight meetings, I believe the handwriting is on the wall. Toronto wins and covers the Puck Line in Game 3.
Pick: Toronto 4 Boston 2
