Oddsmakers Peg Bruins As Home Favorites Entering Game 4 Vs. Senators
The Boston Bruins will be looking to avoid a third straight postseason loss on home ice when they take on the Ottawa Senators in Game 4 of their best-of-seven first-round series as -165 betting favorites at sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark.com.
Wednesday night?s Senators vs. Bruins betting matchup at TD Garden is close to a must-win for Boston, which trails Ottawa 2-1 in the series following a heartbreaking 4-3 overtime loss as -155 home chalk in Game 3. That loss also cost the Bruins at the sportsbooks, where they now sit as +140 underdogs on the NHL playoff series prices after opening as -210 favorites.
The Bruins were outshot by a wide 32-20 margin in Monday’s loss and surrendered a pair of power-play goals. That proved to be enough offense to force the puck total OVER five goals for a second straight game after they dropped an identical 4-3 overtime decision to Ottawa in Game 2 as +110 road underdogs on Saturday.
Boston escaped with a 2-1 win as -120 road chalk in Game 1, rescued by goaltender Tuukka Rask?s stellar performance, but Bruins skaters failed to hit the net during the second period of that contest, getting outshot 12-0.
The Bruins now are winless in two home playoff games since Game 5 of their 2014 second-round series against the Montreal Canadiens, but have a strong recent track record at TD Garden in the postseason with an 11-6 record during a 17-game stretch that started with their memorable Game 7 comeback win over the Toronto Maple Leafs in the opening round of the 2013 NHL playoffs.
However, the team also is winless in their past three overall at home, including a 2-1 loss to Ottawa as a -200 favorite on April 6. The Bruins now have faced off against the Senators on six occasions since March 6, with Game 1 marking their only win during that stretch.
The Senators largely have dominated Boston in recent years, with wins in 12 of their past 15 meetings dating back to December 2014, according to the OddsShark NHL Database, including four straight wins at TD Garden.
Ottawa is hoping that its Game 3 win marks a change in the club?s road fortunes. The Senators have lost seven of their past 10 games on the road, surrendering four or more goals five times, and struggling at times to generate offense while averaging just 2.2 goals per game during that stretch.
Thumbnail photo via Marc DesRosiers/USA TODAY Sports Images
