NHL Odds: Bruins Remain Series Favorites Over Maple Leafs Ahead Of Game 4

The Boston Bruins can push the Toronto Maple Leafs to the brink of elimination from their first-round Stanley Cup playoff series with a win on Thursday when they hit the ice for Game 4 as -115 favorites on the NHL odds at sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark.com.

Boston claimed victory in the first two games of the series before dropping a 4-2 decision as a +102 road underdog Monday but still sits as the favorite on the NHL series prices going into Thursday night’s matchup at the Air Canada Centre.

The Bruins’ top line of David Pastrnak, Patrice Bergeron, and Brad Marchand dominated in a pair of wins on home ice to open the series, combining for 20 total points while handing Toronto its two worst losses of the season. However, the trio were held off the scoresheet in Monday’s defeat, which extends Boston’s current road losing streak to five games.

Recent struggles on the road are compounded by the Bruins’ dismal record in recent visits to Toronto, where they have lost four straight, a run that features a pair of outright defeats as road favorites, including a 4-3 loss as +106 chalk on Feb. 24.

Monday’s loss diminished the Bruins’ position on the NHL playoff series prices, where they have slipped back to -355 after soaring to -750 on the strength of their two series-opening victories over the Maple Leafs. But Boston remains a steady +600 on the Stanley Cup odds.

The Bruins, though, still face a major challenge against the Maple Leafs, who enter Game 4 as narrow -105 underdogs on the moneyline.

Toronto earned its first win of the series on the strength of an impressive performance by goaltender Frederik Andersen. The Danish netminder stopped 40 of 42 stops to lead the Maple Leafs to their 17th victory in 19 home dates. Toronto allowed more than three goals just twice during that run, and has averaged 4.16 goals per game, but has struggled offensively at times during its 3-4-0 overall run, scoring just six total goals in those four losses.

The Maple Leafs’ slow start to the best-of-seven series also has been reflected at the sportsbooks, where they have tumbled to +295 underdogs on the NHL series prices after opening at +130, and to a distant +2000 on the Stanley Cup odds.