The Boston Bruins will be looking to rebound from Sunday’s 3-1 loss to Malcolm Subban and the Vegas Golden Knights when they kick off a four-game homestand Thursdy night with a visit from the Vancouver Canucks.
Subban stood tall in his first action with Vegas since being claimed off waivers from the Bruins on Oct. 3, stopping 21 of 22 shots to seal the Bruins’ loss as a -162 favorite on the NHL odds at sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark.com. The loss also marked Boston’s third defeat in its past four outings, dropping the club’s record to 2-3-0 going into Thursday night’s Canucks vs. Bruins betting matchup at TD Garden.
The Bruins have run hot and cold in the early days of the NHL campaign, failing to record consecutive wins and suffering offensive breakdowns that have limited them to four total goals over their three losses.
Boston escaped with one win during its recent road trip, a 6-2 victory over the Arizona Coyotes as -124 road chalk, and returns home trailing the first-place Tampa Bay Lightning by seven points in the Atlantic Division standings. The club has a chance to rebound from its sluggish start with an upcoming six-game run that features matchups with four teams that failed to reach the NHL playoffs last season, as well as a return date with the expansion Golden Knights.
The Canucks arrive for Thursday’s contest after opening a five-game road trip with a 3-0 win in Ottawa as +166 underdogs Tuesday. The victory over the Senators marked Vancouver’s first shutout win since February and ended a three-game slide during which it was outscored by a 12-6 margin.
Vancouver has produced mixed results against the Bruins, losing in three of its past four meetings, according to the OddsShark NHL Database, but has picked up the win in three of five visits to TD Garden, including a 4-2 victory as a +188 underdog in January 2016.
The Bruins then welcome the Buffalo Sabres to town Saturday, followed by a four-day break ahead of a visit from the San Jose Sharks next Thursday night.
It’s been a rough road early on for the Sabres, who opened with five straight losses before getting in the win column with a 3-1 victory against the Ducks at Anaheim as +135 underdogs Sunday.
Goal production has been an issue for Buffalo, which has averaged just 2.3 goals per game over its first five contests. The Sabres also have been dominated in matchups with Boston, dropping seven straight to the Bruins since recording consecutive wins at TD Garden in 2015.
Thumbnail photo via Anne-Marie Sorvin/USA TODAY Sports Images
