Leafs vs Bruins NHL Spread/Handicapping
Nobody gave the Toronto Maple Leafs much of a chance in their Eastern Conference quarter final series with the Boston Bruins but after going down 3-1 in the series, the Leafs have rattled off two straight wins to force an improbable Game 7 between the storied rivals.
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Toronto Maple Leafs (27-19-1-5) at Boston Bruins (31-15-3-3)
When: 7:00 PM ET, Monday, May 13, 2013
Where: TD Banknorth Garden, Boston, Massachusetts
Broadcast: CNBC, NESN, CBC, RDS
Series tied 3-3
Leafs vs. Bruins Betting Lines from betonline.com
Odds: Boston -195 O/U 5
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Bruins Host Leafs in Game 7
The Bruins have played a Game 7 in the playoffs a staggering six straight season and enter as arguably the better of the two teams while the Maple Leafs who qualified for the postseason for the first time since 2004 enter Game 7 as the hotter, more confident squad. Needless to say, Monday night should be interesting indeed – one of these Original Six teams is going home!
The Toronto Maple Leafs have made life absolutely miserable for the Boston Bruins in their quarter final series. They have been playing very solid defense and are doing just enough in the offensive zone to get it done. Translation – they are most deserving of a Game 7 Monday night and enter as the team with far the less to lose and with less pressure on them.
Toronto hasn’t exactly been scoring in bunches so far in the series – just 2.33 goals for per game. But they have been generating pressure and have been getting their share of chances. Tyler Bozak was a late scratch on Sunday night which should have left a gaping hole in the Leafs attack but somehow this team found a way to scratch out a victory. Phil Kessel has three goals in the series after posting that same amount in his first 22 career games against his former team – he is the difference maker that Toronto envisioned when they made the trade for him. He, and seemingly every one else wearing a Leaf on their jersey has elevated their games so far and has made Toronto look like the better team at times in the series – unbelievable.
And then there is the defense and goaltending. The Leafs have held the Bruins without a goal in the first 50 minutes of the last two games – only late goals by Boston have made these games nail-biters. James Reimer has stopped 72 of 74 shots over the past two games to help keep the Maple Leafs’ season alive. He made 29 saves Sunday night and now has a very good .932 save percentage in the series. The Leafs needed him to steal a couple of games in the series and Reimer has certainly not let them down.[ad-4437448]
It wouldn`t be the Boston Bruins unless they were forced to a Game 7 in the playoffs. But a couple of trends are a tad troubling ahead of Monday night`s showdown. They have scored just one goal in each of their last two games and their home-town mojo against the Leafs is all-but gone. They have lost the last two at TD Garden. Prior to losing Game 2 and Game 5, the Bruins had won six straight home matchups with Toronto – their dominance in Boston is a thing of the past and the intimidation factor simply isn`t there ahead of Game 7.
Offensively even David Krejci couldn`t get it done Sunday night. He was held pointless for the first time in the series while Milan Lucic, his line mate score Boston`s only goal. The Patrice Bergeron line continues to struggle for Boston – there is absolutely no explanation as to why this line has gone dry. Bruins captain Zdeno Chara picked up another assist Sunday, his sixth of the series. He has seven points overall and is the only Bruin entering Monday night Hot.
Defensively Boston has been fine allowing just 2.33 goals per game. Tuukka Rask has matched James Reimer save-for-save, has a 2.28 GAA and .932 save percentage so far. His team needs to score more than one goal per game in front of him or it won`t matter how well he plays!
Betting Prediction
A few trends to consider:
• TOR are 6-2 in their last 8 Mon. games.
• BOS are 22-4 in their last 26 Mon. games.
• Under is 10-4-3 in BOS last 17 home games.
• BOS are 36-16 in their last 52 vs. Northeast.
• Over is 12-4-2 in the last 18 meetings.
• TOR are 4-12 in the last 16 meetings in Boston.
The Maple Leafs are 12-9 all-time in Game 7s while Boston is 12-11. Although Boston has been here many times in the recent past you have to think that all of the pressure is on them ahead of Game 7. Add in the fact theta their routine was thrown out of whack (they were forced to spend the night in Toronto due to mechanical issues with their plane) and it looks like the stars are aligning for the Leafs. Toronto has won their last two games at TD Garden and clearly has the momentum for Game 7. I would have never in a million years thought I’d be saying this but…
Pick: Toronto Male Leafs
