Winslow Townson-USA TODAY Sports/Sipa USA

Toronto Maple Leafs vs Boston Bruins: Eastern Conference Playoffs – First Round

The Boston Bruins are starting their playoffs tonight at the TD Garden against the Toronto Maple Leafs.

The Maple Leafs look good going into the playoffs

The Toronto Maple Leafs finished the regular season in fifth place in the Eastern Conference with a 46-26-10 record. They lost the last four games of the regular season and are coming off a 6-4 loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning. Toronto is second in the league, scoring 3.63 goals per game and 21st in allowing 3.18 goals per game. Auston Matthews leads the league in scoring with 69 goals and is ranked sixth with 107 total points.

The Bruins are under pressure

The Boston Bruins finished the regular season in fourth place in the Eastern Conference with a 47-20-15 record. They lost three of the last four games of the regular season and are coming off a 3-1 loss to the Ottawa Senators. The Bruins are third in the league with a 91.5 save percentage, fifth in allowing 2.70 goals per game, and 13th in scoring 3.21 goals per game. David Pastrnak is the leader of the team, which is ranked fifth in the league with 110 points and seventh with 47 goals.

Betting Trends

The Bruins have won the last seven games against the Maple Leafs and six of the last seven at home. Boston is 13-7 SU in the last 20 games played in April. Toronto is 1-4 SU in the laast five games overall and 5-10 SU in the laast 15 games against teams from the Atlantic Division.

Prediction and Conclusion

The Boston Bruins were on top of the Eastern Conference for the majority of the 2023–24 regular season but fell to fourth place and will face the Toronto Maple Leafs in the opening round of the playoffs. The Bruins lost in the opening round the last two seasons, and there will be no excuse if that happens this time around. The Maple Leafs are a serious team, with Auston Matthews being the leading scorer in the NHL, but if there is a defense that can slow him down, then it is definitely the Bruins. Boston has won the last seven games against Toronto and will keep that run alive with an opening win in the playoff series.