Bruins Open As Favorites In Pivotal Game 7 Against Maple Leafs
The Bruins are in familiar territory in the first round, but hope history doesn’t repeat itself again.
Boston’s 3-1 series lead over the Maple Leafs was erased after Toronto rallied back to win the next two games of the best-of-seven series. Sheldon Keefe’s side earned a 2-1 win over the Black and Gold at Scotiabank Arena on Thursday to force a Game 7 at TD Garden.
No team in NBA or NHL history has given up a 3-1 series lead in consecutive seasons, and the B’s track record over Toronto in Game 7 bodes well for Saturday night. However, head coach Jim Montgomery knows that won’t come without proper preparation and the play from the team’s star players.
Oddsmakers at FanDuel Sportsbook gave the slight lean to the Bruins in Game 7 when they opened as -1.5 favorites on the puck line at +188. Boston was -144 and Toronto was +120 on the moneyline Friday morning.
The Bruins also were favorites through the majority of the series against the Maple Leafs, so they’ll need to get it done on the ice to advance past the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs with the Florida Panthers awaiting their second-round opponent.