The Toronto Maple Leafs will have one last chance to claim their first playoff series win since 2004 when they take on the Boston Bruins on Tuesday in Game 7 of their first-round series as +120 road underdogs on the NHL betting lines at sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark.com.
Toronto squandered an early 1-0 lead on their way to a 4-2 loss in Game 6 on Sunday afternoon, and now returns to Boston facing a must-win situation in Tuesday night’s Maple Leafs vs. Bruins betting matchup at TD Garden.
The Maple Leafs have yet to trail in the series. However, neither team has been able to maintain momentum by posting consecutive wins, and have each suffered a pair of losses on home ice so far in the series.
Despite picking up wins in Games 1 and 5 in Boston, the Maple Leafs continue to own a shaky road record of late, failing to post consecutive wins on the road while going 6-6-4 in their past 16 dates away from Scotiabank Arena, according to the OddsShark NHL Database. Complicating matters is Toronto’s recent playoff history against the Bruins, with each of their past two series ending with Game 7 defeats, dumping the Maple Leafs to 0-4 in seven-game clashes since 1993.
The Bruins return home set as -140 favourites to once again extinguish the Maple Leafs’ Stanley Cup hopes, but face challenges of their own. Boston has claimed just one win in its last five home contests after winning 12 straight in February and March, and are just 2-5 in their past seven playoff home dates.
However, the Bruins are 5-1 in Game 7 situations since 2009, with four of those games getting decided in overtime, and have moved past Toronto on the Stanley Cup odds, improving to +900 while the Maple Leafs closely trail at +950.
Elsewhere on Tuesday night, the San Jose Sharks look to complete the comeback in their first-round matchup with Vegas, as they return home for a Game 7 clash with the Golden Knights pegged as a -110 pick’em on the NHL odds.
The Sharks looked to be on the ropes after following up a Game 1 win with three straight losses, but have battled back with a pair of character wins to tie the series, capped by Sunday’s 2-1 overtime win in Game 6 as +170 underdogs.
San Jose has failed to tally consecutive wins on home ice during a shaky 4-7 run, but faces a Golden Knights squad that has been equally ineffective on the road, posting just one win in their past seven such outings.
[relatedlinks]
