The Toronto Maple Leafs will be looking to advance to the second round of the NHL playoffs for the first time since 2004 when they take on the Boston Bruins on Wednesday in Game 7 of their first-round series as +145 road underdogs on the NHL odds at sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark.com.
Toronto recorded consecutive wins for the first time in 10 outings with a 3-1 victory over Boston as a +109 wager in Game 6 action Monday to even the series at three games apiece going into Wednesday night’s Maple Leafs versus Bruins betting matchup at TD Garden.
Steady performances at both ends of the ice have fuelled the Maple Leafs’ comeback after suffering their two worst defeats of the season in Games 1 and 2. The play of goaltender Frederik Andersen, combined with steadily improving defensive work by the club’s skaters, has been the difference in the team’s push to take three of four from the Bruins.
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But with just one win in their past four dates in Boston, the Maple Leafs continue to lag on the Stanley Cup odds, where they are pegged as +1850 underdogs pending Wednesday’s result.
Despite the long odds, the Maple Leafs travel to Boston for Game 7 bursting with motivation. The team will be looking to atone for a stunning third-period collapse and overtime loss to the Bruins in Game 7 of their first-round matchup back in 2013.
Toronto has posted wins in three of its past five Game 7 matchups, but has struggled when playing Game 7 on the road, losing four straight by an overall margin of 21-8 since knocking off the Detroit Red Wings with a 4-3 overtime victory in 1993.
However, the Bruins must overcome some recent adversity of their own as they prepare for Wednesday’s matchup as -165 betting favourites. With Monday’s loss as -120 chalk, Boston has now lost seven of 11 overall, including two of its past four home contests, according to the OddsShark NHL Database.
The Bruins have also produced uneven results in Game 7 matchups, losing two of their last three, all on home ice, capped by a 3-1 loss as -170 chalk to fall to the Montreal Canadiens four years ago in a second-round series they had led 3-2.
Overall, Boston is 3-5 in in eight Game 7 clashes at TD Garden since 2004, with six of those contests settled by a single goal, and the UNDER prevailing in three of four in totals betting.
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