Bruins Look To End Five-Game Skid Vs. Ducks, Enter Matchup As Slim Favorites
The Boston Bruins will be looking to end a five-game losing streak and retake control of the eighth and final playoff spot in the NHL’s Eastern Conference when they face the Anaheim Ducks on Thursday night as slim -130 favorites at the sportsbooks.
The Bruins have struggled with consistency since early February, winning just eight of their last 21 games, a run that began with a six-game losing streak. Boston also enters Thursday night’s Ducks vs. Bruins betting matchup at TD Garden with just four victories in their last nine contests on home ice, including last week’s disappointing 2-1 loss to the basement-dwelling Buffalo Sabres as heavy -460 betting favorites.
The Bruins fired 45 shots at Sabres goaltender Anders Lindback in that losing cause, which further magnified the club’s recent inability to put pucks in the net. Boston has scored just nine total goals during their current losing skid and have been held to under two goals in seven of their last 14 outings.
While the Bruins have stumbled, the Ottawa Senators have soared, winning 15 of their last 17 games and erasing Boston’s 10-point lead in the Eastern Conference standings to take over the second wild card spot in the East.
Boston heads into action Thursday trailing the Senators by one point, with Ottawa holding one game in hand. However, Ottawa also faces a tough test when they take on the red-hot New York Rangers as -115 favorites at sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark.com.
The Bruins have produced mixed results in recent contests with the Ducks, who arrive in Boston sitting atop the Pacific Division standings with 99 points but have come up losers in their last two games.
The Ducks are 5-2 in their last seven matchups with the Bruins, including a 3-2 win in Anaheim in December. Boston picked up the win in the Ducks’ last visit to the Garden last season, but are a middling 5-5 in their last 10 on home ice against Anaheim.
A busy weekend is on tap for the Bruins following Thursday’s contest. The Rangers come to town following their date with the Senators for a Saturday matinee, and the Bruins then travel to Carolina to take on the struggling Hurricanes on Sunday before returning home to prepare for a Tuesday night battle against the Florida Panthers.
Thumbnail photo via Kim Klement/USA TODAY Sports Images
