The Boston Bruins will be looking to claim the lead in their opening-round playoff series with Toronto when they visit the Maple Leafs for Game 3 on Monday as +105 underdogs on the NHL odds at sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark.com.
Boston leaves town after recording a decisive 4-1 win in Game 2 on Saturday, which evened up the series at one game apiece going into Monday night’s Bruins vs. Maple Leafs betting matchup at Scotiabank Arena.
The Bruins returned to their familiar physical style of play after dropping a 4-1 decision to Toronto in Game 1 of the series on Thursday. The top line of David Pastrnak, Patrice Bergeron, and Brad Marchand led the Bruins attack on Saturday after being somewhat quiet in Game 1, with Marchand and Bergeron finding the back of the net and Pastrnak contributing an assist.
The Bruins’ top line racked up 20 points over the first two games of last year’s first-round matchup with Toronto, and remain key to the club’s chances of advancing to the second round and paying out as reduced -120 favorites on the NHL playoff series prices. Boston marched to an eventual seven-game series win over the Maple Leafs a year ago, and has knocked off their Original Six rivals in five straight playoff meetings since 1959.
But while the Bruins looked to have regained momentum with Saturday’s victory as -145 chalk, they have struggled in recent visits to Toronto. Boston won the season series with the Maple Leafs, posting wins in three of four meetings, but owns a dismal 2-7 straight-up record in its last nine trips to Toronto, according to the OddsShark NHL Database.
That includes losses in two of three road dates during last spring’s first-round playoff matchup. Goal production has also been an issue for the Bruins when they visit Scotiabank Arena, with the club tallying just 2.11 goals per game over their past nine.
The Maple Leafs return home licking their wounds following Saturday’s loss, but maintain the edge at the sportsbooks as -125 favorites on the NHL odds. The club played some of its most disciplined hockey of the season in a huge character win in Game 1 as a +125 wager, but lapsed into some recent bad habits in their Game 2 loss.
While Toronto now enjoys home-ice advantage in the series, the club continues to struggle with consistency, failing to record consecutive wins while going 5-8-3 in their past 16 contests. However, the Maple Leafs remain at a solid +100 on the NHL series price.
