NHL Best Bets: Maple Leafs vs. Bruins Game Picks

Two Atlantic division foes are set to collide tonight from TD Garden as the Toronto Maple Leafs visit the Boston Bruins.

All Odds Courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook

Toronto Maple Leafs (+138) vs. Boston Bruins (-166) Total: 6 (O-106, U-114)

There’s a lot to like about the way the Bruins and Maple Leafs have played up to this point, and they’ve both continued to be some of the most consistent teams in the NHL. The Maple Leafs have posted a 6-3-1 record over their past ten games, while the Bruins are 7-1-2 over that same sample size. In somewhat surprising fashion, the Bruins are coming off their first home regulation loss of the season, which only took over three months to happen! 

The Maple Leafs and Bruins have already met once this season, back on November 5, which saw Toronto pick up a 2-1 victory. The B’s currently sit nine points ahead of the Buds and have a pair of games in hand on the Maple Leafs in the Atlantic. When you’ve posted a 19-1-3 home record, it’s hard to side against the Bruins in their own barn. Boston is listed as a -166 moneyline favorite, while the Maple Leafs are priced at +138. 

Looking toward the projected goalie matchup tonight, the visiting Maple Leafs are expected to start Matt Murray, while the Bruins should counter with Linus Ullmark. The Maple Leafs netminder has posted an 11-4-2 record, paired with a .919 save percentage, while Ullmark is likely the leader in the clubhouse for the Vezina, owning a 22-2-1 record, along with a sparkling .938 save percentage. 

With only five regulation losses on the season, it’s hard to envision the Bruins losing back-to-back games with how well they’ve managed to respond after losing. The Maple Leafs should put up a good fight here, but the Bruins will prove to be a little too much to handle on this Saturday night. 

Best Bet: Bruins moneyline (-166) 

We’ve already seen these teams play a very low-scoring game where just three total goals were scored. That should hardly be a surprise, considering that the Maple Leafs and Bruins both sit in the top three in the NHL in goals allowed per game. Sure, both of these offenses are also in the top ten in scoring as well, but there’s been a clear emphasis on defense, and that’s been even more evident in these important divisional matchups.

Over the Maple Leafs past five games, only one of those matchups has seen more than six goals scored, while just two of the past five have seen that happen for Boston. As a result, there’s some value prevalent here in siding with the under six at -114. 

Best Bet: Under 6 (-114)

When you have a big game on a Saturday night, you want to target players who are invested and bring their teammates into the fight. The one player that typically stands out for the Bruins is Brad Marchand. The feisty winger has tallied 37 points in 33 games and has continued to be one of the more dominant two-way threats in the NHL. When you can target one of the more talented players in the NHL to score and have his price sitting with a great value number of +186, it should be hard to ignore for bettors tonight. 

Best Prop: Brad Marchand to Record Over 0.5 Goals (+186)