There might be just two games across the NHL on the first day of February, but one of them is an intriguing matchup between two top teams in the Eastern Conference. The Boston Bruins hit the road to face the Auston Matthews-less Toronto Maple Leafs at Scotiabank Arena. The puck drops at 7:30 PM ET here. Boston is currently the best team in the league by a mile but has actually lost three in a row recently. Toronto meanwhile is coming off a big 5-1 victory over Alex Ovechkin and the Washington Capitals. Keep reading for the Bruins vs Maple Leafs prediction.
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The Bruins are favored by 1.5 on the puck line and -120 on the money line at Bovada. Boston is 7-3 in their last ten games on the road. The Leaves come back at +110 odds and have gone 4-1 in their last five meetings with the Bruins at home.
However, their last matchup in mid-January went the way of Boston, winning a 4-3 thriller. Toronto is currently 11 points behind their rivals in the Atlantic Division and the East.
The Bruins undoubtedly look like a Stanley Cup favorite this season with a stellar 38-7-5 record. Aside from the three-game skid, Boston is pretty much unstoppable, ranking top-five in both goals scored and goals allowed. This offense is extremely well-rounded, with numerous guys capable of creating havoc on any given night. Leading the charge is winger David Pastrnak, who has scored 38 goals and set up another 33 in 50 games. He’s second in the NHL behind only Connor McDavid in scoring and also ranks fourth in total points with 71. A true superstar. Veteran Brad Marchand is also doing his part, netting 16 times and supplying 30 assists. This group has eight different players in double-figures in goals. Defensively, they’ve conceded a league-low 2.12 goals.
That’s why this current cold spell is definitely unlike the Bruins, who allowed three to the Lightning, four to the Panthers, and then another four to the Hurricanes, who are also in contention at the top of the conference. They were outshot 36-25 and were down 3-0 until Taylor Hall got one back early in the third period. However, Jordan Staal quickly responded, putting Carolina up 4-1 for good. Boston needs a win badly, and what better time than Wednesday against an arch-nemesis in Toronto? Unfortunately, Jim Montgomery’s squad has lost four of their last five against the Leafs.
The Leafs were certainly dealt a crushing blow with Matthews suffering a knee injury last week that will keep him out for a minimum of three weeks. It will be very difficult to make up for the loss of a superstar who has already scored 25 goals and assisted 28, but the likes of John Tavares, William Nylander, and Mitch Marner are capable of stepping up. Toronto is a surefire playoff team if they keep winning, too, owning a 31-12-8 record and one of the best attacks. Nylander has scored a team-best 28 times, while Marner is the ultimate provider, tallying 41 assists and finding the back of the net on 18 occasions.
Sunday’s victory over Washington saw various players get in on the action as Nylander, Morgan Reilly, Michael Bunting, Pierre Engvall, and Zachary Aston-Reese all scored. Tavares also collected a pair of points in his 1,000th career game. Defensively, Toronto managed to shut down Ovechkin, a task in itself. Wednesday’s affair is the final contest of this five-game homestand, and they’ll be looking to finish off on a high note against a Boston team that will have a ton of fire.
Despite Boston’s recent struggles against Toronto, I don’t see them losing another one here. I expect them to bounce back and take down their divisional rivals.
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