- What: Bruins vs Maple Leafs
- When: Monday, March 4th, 7 PM ET
- Where: Scotiabank Arena
All eyes will be on Monday's huge matchup as two rivals go at it. The Boston Bruins are set to visit the Toronto Maple Leafs in a must-watch Atlantic Division clash at Scotiabank Arena. The puck is scheduled to drop at 7 PM ET. Boston is coming off a deflating 5-1 loss to the New York Islanders on Saturday and will be motivated to bounce back here. As for Toronto, they just took down the high-flying New York Rangers over the weekend by a score of 4-3 in a shootout. This is the third contest of a four-game homestand for them before hitting the road. Below, find our Bruins vs Maple Leafs picks.
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Bruins vs Maple Leafs Odds
| Team |  |  |  |
|---|---|---|---|
| Boston Bruins | +116 | +110 | +110 |
| Toronto Maple Leafs | -130 | -130 | -130 |
The Leafs are a home favorite here with -130 moneyline odds for an implied win probability of 56.52%. The Bruins meanwhile sit at +110 and have a 47.62% chance of coming out victorious. Boston has dominated Toronto in recent memory, winning five in a row dating back to last season. But, all but one of those meetings was decided by just one goal. This could be a close one yet again.
Boston is Legit
There were a lot of people who believed the Bruins would take a step back in 2023-24 after historically flaming out of the playoffs in the first round last season. But, Boston is having a tremendous campaign and remains in the mix to win the Atlantic Division and the Eastern Conference. Jim Montgomery's squad is second in the Atlantic with a stout 35-13-14 record, only two points behind the first-place Florida Panthers. However, the Bruins aren't playing all that great as of late, going 3-2-5 in their last 10 outings.
While Thursday was an impressive victory over the reigning champion Vegas Golden Knights, Saturday was a poor performance from Boston. Kyle Palmieri scored a first-period hat trick and the Bruins could never recover, ultimately losing by four goals. Mac McLaughlin had the lone goal for Boston. Overall though, this is a very good team on both ends of the ice, ranking 10th in goals scored and seventh in fewest goals allowed. The star of the show is David Pastrnak, who is fully living up to his hefty contract extension from last season. He has 87 points, including 38 goals and 49 assists. Brad Marchand is also doing his part after all these years, contributing 53 points. In total, the Bruins have eight different players with a minimum of 30 points.
Monday is the final game of a quick two-game road trip for Boston, who will return home for a few difficult contests against the Oilers, Maple Leafs, and Penguins. In fact, after visiting Toronto, it's a quick turnaround for a matchup on Tuesday with Edmonton at the TD Garden. Hopefully, they can gain some momentum before hosting Connor McDavid and Co.
Leafs Are Red Hot
The All-Star break couldn't have come at a better time for Toronto. Since the festivities at Scotiabank Arena, they've only lost three times and own a 9-1 record in their last 10 outings. The Leafs are 35-17-8 overall and right on the heels of the Bruins in the Atlantic Division. Toronto managed to take down a very good Rangers squad on Saturday evening in what proved to be an entertaining contest. Mitch Marner, William Nylander, and John Tavares got on the scoresheet for the Maple Leafs while Max Domi scored the OT winner.
Offense is the name of the game for Toronto, who score the most goals per game in the NHL at 3.65. Nylander's 83 points are a team-best, while Auston Matthews isn't far behind with 79. In fact, he's on pace for 75 goals with 53 at the moment to go along with 26 assists. Marner is also part of the 70-point club with 74. Morgan Reilly and Tavares round out the core five for the Leafs.
Even though Toronto has beaten some quality teams in recent weeks like the Avalanche, Rangers, and Golden Knights, the Bruins are clearly a team that has their number. And with only six points separating them and Boston, this is an important game to win for the Leafs. They're 17-11-2 at home this season.
Bruins vs Maple Leafs Picks
The Leafs are surging and it's only a matter of time until they beat the Bruins. I think it will happen on Monday at Scotiabank. Ride the moneyline.
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