Bruins vs. Maple Leafs Prediction & Best Bets for Friday, April 29: Leafs Looking to Play Spoiler in Home Finale

The Toronto Maple Leafs and Boston Bruins will close out their regular season schedule on Friday night. The Leafs have locked themselves into the #2 seed in the Atlantic, but Boston still has an opportunity to. increase their position and get themselves out of the Wild Card spot.

The Bruins trail the Tampa Bay Lightning by 1 point in the Atlantic Division entering Friday. With a win by Boston, and a loss in regulation by Tampa Bay, the Lightning would vault themselves into the #3 seed in the division and knock the defending Stanley Cup Champions down to a Wild Card position.

In the season series between the Bruins and Maple Leafs, Toronto has fared well winning both meeting by two or more goals. They have outscored their division rivals 11-6 this season.

The Bruins have done everything correctly in the last two weeks winning 4 straight games and putting themselves in position to increase their playoff seed. If Boston can pull off the win this evening and get a little help from the New York Islanders who play the Lightning tonight, they would take on this Toronto team in the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

Boston Bruins vs Toronto Maple Leafs Betting Odds and Matchup Information

Matchup Information

• Boston Bruins (51-25-5) vs Toronto Maple Leafs (53-21-7)
• Venue: Scotiabank Arena (Toronto, ON)
• Date: Friday, April 29, 2022
• Time: 7:00 p.m. ET
• How to Watch Bruins vs Maple Leafs: TSN, ESPN+ (subscription)

Bruins vs Maple Leafs Betting Odds

Odds are via our top reviewed and recommended sportsbooks.

BetOnline

• Puck Line: Bruins -1.5 (+220), Maple Leafs +1.5 (-275)
• Over/Under: Over 6.5 (-114), Under 6.5 (-106)
• Moneyline: Bruins -114, Maple Leafs -105

Bovada Sportsbook

• Puck Line: Bruins -1.5 (+205), Maple Leafs +1.5 (-250)
• Over/Under: Over 6.5 (+100), Under 6.5 (-120)
• Moneyline: Bruins -120, Maple Leafs +100

BetUS

• Puck Line: Bruins -1.5 (+205), Maple Leafs +1.5 (-250)
• Over/Under: Over 6.5 (-103), Under 6.5 (-115)
• Moneyline: Bruins -112, Maple Leafs -104

Boston May Not Be the Favorite on the Road

In recent games, when Boston has been the favorite, they have come out of the gate firing on all cylinders. They have won the first period in 5 of their last 6 games as favorites and have not been outscored in those contests.

The Maple Leafs are more rested than the Bruins, as their last game took place on Tuesday night. The Bruins had a quick turnaround last night. Directly after playing in Boston, they made the trip north of the border for their faceoff with the Leafs.

In their last 16 games, the Leafs have covered the puck line 15 times as an underdog when their opponent is playing the second half of a back-to-back. In this case, it looks like they could extend that mark.

The Leafs have one of the best offenses in the NHL. They lead the league in Power Play percentage and are tied for second in goals per game. The Bruins are Top 5 in defense when it comes to goals and shots allowed.

The one issue I see is Boston taking too many penalties. They are Bottom 10 in the league in penalty minutes this year.

Putting the Leafs on the Power Play is a dangerous situation. They will need to avoid those instances if they want a chance to stay in the contest.

I expect the Bruins to start fast, but look for the Toronto offensive attack to overpower the Boston defense and surge ahead later in the game. This is my prediction:

Bruins vs Maple Leafs Prediction and Best Bets

Prediction: Maple Leafs 4 Bruins 3

Best Bets: Maple Leafs +1.5 (-250 on Bovada Sportsbook and BetUS) and Over 6.5 total goals (+100 on Bovada Sportsbook)

In their previous two games this season, the teams have combined for 7 or more goals each time. The Leafs are covering at an insane clip as underdogs, and I don’t see Boston rested enough to change that trend.