The Toronto Maple Leafs and the Boston Bruins meet in NHL action from the TD Garden on Thursday night.
Maple Leafs Fall Flat Vs. Kings
The Toronto Maple Leafs come into this game looking to shake off their 4-1 loss at the hands of the Los Angeles Kings last time out. William Nylander leads the Leafs in scoring with 13 points including 6 goals and a team-high 7 assists while John Tavares has 12 points with 5 goals and 7 assists of his own. Auston Matthews has 10 points with a team-high 7 goals and Mitch Marner has 8 points with 6 assists. Morgan Rielly also has 7 points with 5 assists as well on the year. Joseph Woll has posted a 3-2 record with a 1.89 GAA and a .942 save percentage while Ilya Samsonov is 2-1-1 with a 3.99 GAA and an .841 save percentage between the pipes for Toronto this season.
Toronto Maple Leafs Team Facts
- The Maple Leafs have won each of their last six games as underdogs.
- The Maple Leafs have covered the puck line in each of their last 11 games as underdogs against opponents on a winning streak.
- The Maple Leafs have lost the first period in each of their last four games following a loss.
- The ‘Under 0.5 Goals Period 1′ market has hit in four of the Maple Leafs’ last five games at TD Garden against opponents on a winning streak.
Toronto Maple Leafs Player Prop Facts
- William Nylander has recorded at least one point in each of the Maple Leafs’ last 12 games.
- John Tavares has recorded at least one assist in each of the Maple Leafs’ last four games against Atlantic Division opponents.
- Auston Matthews has scored at least one goal in five of his last six appearances with the Maple Leafs as underdogs against Atlantic Division opponents.
- Auston Matthews is one of only two players in the league to record two or more hat tricks this season.
Bruins Rally To Beat Panthers
The Boston Bruins come into this one looking to build on their 3-2 OT win over the Florida Panthers last time out. David Pastrnak leads the Bruins in scoring with 14 points including a team-high 8 goals and 6 assists while Brad Marchand has 9 points with 5 goals and 4 assists. Charlie McAvoy has 8 points with 2 goals and 6 assists and Pavel Zacha has 6 points with 3 goals and 3 assists. Charlie Coyle’s added 5 assists while Matthew Poitras and James van Riemsdyk each have 3 goals as well on the year. Jeremy Swayman has gone 4-0 with a 1.26 GAA and a .957 save percentage in goal for the Bruins while Linus Ullmark is 4-0-1 with a 1.77 GAA and a .939 save percentage this season.
Boston Bruins Team Facts
- The Bruins have won eight of their last nine games.
- The road team has covered the puck line in seven of the Bruins’ last eight games.
- The Bruins have won the third period in eight of their last nine home games against the Maple Leafs following a win.
- The ‘Over 1.5 Goals Period 1′ market has hit in seven of the Bruins’ last eight games following a home win.
Boston Bruins Player Prop Facts
- Brad Marchand has recorded at least one point in 10 of the Bruins’ last 11 games against Eastern Conference opponents.
- David Pastrnak has scored a goal in each of the Bruins’ last four home games against the Maple Leafs.
- David Pastrnak has recorded an assist in each of the Bruins’ last four home games.
- David Pastrnak ranks T2nd in the league for multi-point games (5) this season.
Matchup/League Facts
- The Boston Bruins ranks 1st in the league for goals against per game this season (1.56).
- The Boston Bruins ranks 1st in the league in penalty kill percentage this season (97.30%).
- The Toronto Maple Leafs ranks 5th in the league in power play percentage this season (31.25%).
- The Toronto Maple Leafs ranks 26th in the league in penalty kill percentage this season (74.19%).
Chris’ Pick
I’m rolling with Boston here. Don’t get me wrong, I’m a Leafs fan, but there’s one thing I can attest to, and that’s the fact that Boston has a tendency to be Toronto’s kryptonite. The Bruins have been one of the league’s best teams at home for some time, and getting them at a reasonable price feels like a gift. Give me the Bruins at home here.
