In the Eastern Conference, a pair of teams are set to mix it up north of the border for Game 3 of the best of 7 series. The Boston Bruins and Toronto Maple Leafs both won games in Boston, and now Toronto will host the next two. On Saturday, the Bruins won 5-1, and on Monday, Toronto bounced back with a 3-2 win.
The Boston Bruins finished second in the Atlantic Division with their 47-20-15 record. The Bruins had a chance for the top seed, but fell at home to the Ottawa Senators to allow Florida to pass them in the divisional standings.
Toronto is the third place team out of the Atlantic. The Maple Leafs did not play well down the stretch, losing four games in a row. The Maple Leafs pretty much had third place wrapped up, so they rested some guys. They finished 46-26-10 on the season.
Toronto is -115 at home against Boston in this game. The total for this affair is at 5.5 goals.
Boston Seeking Big Bounce Back
Boston is looking for a bounce back to go back ahead in the series. The Bruins did a nice job of defending all season, and will need their defensive skates when they head to Toronto. The Bruins allowed 2.7 goals per game, which ranked fifth in the National Hockey League. On offense, Boston scored 3.21 per game.
David Pastrnak, who led Boston in scoring during the regular season put the Bruins ahead near the end of the first period. It was his first of the postseason. During the regular season, Pastrnak scored 47 goals and dished out 63 assists to lead the team in points.
The Bruins went with Linus Ullmark in this game between the pipes. He turned away 31 of the 34 shots on goal, but took the loss. In the game one win, Boston used 25 year old Jeremy Swayman, who had 35 saves in the game.
High Flying Toronto Offense
The Maple Leafs are known for their offense. If the game gets defensive, and tough to score, they could be in trouble. The Maple Leafs finished 21st in the league in defense, as they allowed 3.18 goals per game. Offensively, they were second with more than 3.6 per game.
In the win on Monday, Toronto saw their super star Auston Mattehws break the tie. He scored at 12:06 in the third to put Toronto ahead 3-2. Max Domi had his first postseason goal of the season, and an assist in the game. John Tavares was the Maple Leafs offensive player that tied the game late in the second.
During the regular season, Matthews finished with 69 regular season goals. Tavares was four on the team in points, with 65, and third in goals scored. Domi was sixth, with 47 points. Goaltender Ilya Samsonov turned away 27 of the Bruins 29 shots in the game.
Toronto Takes 2-1 Series Lead
The Toronto Maple Leafs are going to win again. Toronto was under control and poised in the Game 2 win on Monday. We like Toronto to use their home crowd, and score a couple early goals and win this game.
This win would have the Bruins scratching their heads a little, before the Game 4 affair in Toronto. Our final bet here is the Toronto Maple Leafs -115 at home over the Boston Bruins.
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