Boston Bruins - Toronto Maple Leafs predictions and free betting tips [21/04/2024]

The Boston Bruins and the Toronto Maple Leafs are set to face off in the first match of the NHL playoffs tomorrow morning.

Boston Bruins

The Boston Bruins concluded the regular season with a record of 47-20-15, amassing a considerable 110 points. David Pastrnak led the team with 110 points, scoring 47 goals and making 63 assists. Brad Marchand contributed 67 points, including 29 goals and 38 assists. Charlie Coyle acquired 60 points, Charlie McAvoy — 47 points with 35 assists, while Pavel Zacha scored 59 points. Boston was just shy of securing first place in the Atlantic Division, but successive losses in the last two matches of the season against Ottawa and Washington, with a combined score of 1:5, determined their final ranking. Goalkeepers Jeremy Swayman and Linus Ullmark split time between the posts throughout the season. Swayman finished the season with a record of 25-10-8, a 2.53 goals against average, and a save percentage of 91.6 percent, while Ullmark had a record of 22-10-7, a GAA of 2.58, and a save percentage of 91.5 percent.  The team averaged 3.21 goals per game, allowing 2.70. The power play achieved 22.2% efficiency, whilst penalty kill stood at 82.5%. The approach to the playoffs remains the same, focusing on strong defensive play and offensive efficiency, backed up by the statistics of the team's key players and goaltending duo.

Toronto Maple Leafs

The Toronto Maple Leafs wrapped up the regular season with a score of 46-26-10. Auston Matthews was the team leader, gathering 107 points, which includes 69 goals and 38 assists. William Nylander added 98 points, scoring 40 goals and assisting 58 times. Mitch Marner got 85 points with 59 assists, John Tavares — 65 points, and Morgan Rielly — 58 points with 51 assists. In their final games of the season, Toronto suffered four consecutive losses, including defeats to Tampa Bay, Florida, Detroit, and New Jersey, weakening their position ahead of the playoffs. The team conceded at least five goals in each of these losses. The Maple Leafs' offense scores an average of 3.63 goals per game and allows 3.18, while power-play efficiency stands at 24%, and penalty-kill at 76.9%. 

Ilya Samsonov emerged as the main goalkeeper this season with a 23-7-8 record, a 3.13 GAA, and a save percentage of 89%. The team has set its sights on improving its performance and preparing for serious challenges in the playoffs, despite the challenging latest regular-season games.

Head-to-Head

In a series of recent encounters between Boston and Toronto, the Bruins have demonstrated superiority with seven consecutive victories. On March 8, 2024, Boston defeated Toronto with a score of 4:1. A similar scoreline occurred on March 5, when Boston once again won 4:1. In overtime on December 3, 2023, Boston secured victory with a tight scoreline of 4:3. Another meeting on November 3 ended with Boston winning in a shootout 3:2, and on April 7, Boston also won in overtime with a score of 2:1.

Match Prediction for Boston Bruins - Toronto Maple Leafs

Boston should secure the initial home victory in the playoffs, especially after the slump in the final tours of the regular season. The recent head-to-head meetings confirm their superiority over the Canadians. I expect Boston to lead the series 1-0.