Maple Leafs vs Bruins NHL Predictions, Odds, & Best Bets for Game 2 (4/22): DeBrusk Dominates Division Rivals

Maple Leafs vs Bruins NHL Betting Trends

• Toronto is 0-8 straight up in its last eight games vs. Boston.
• Boston is 12-3 straight up in its last 15 games vs. the Atlantic Division.
• The total hit the Over in four of Toronto’s last five road games.
• The total hit the Under in six of Boston’s last eight games played in April.
• The total hit the Under in four of the last six Toronto-Boston matchups.

Maple Leafs vs Bruins NHL Game 2 Predictions & Pick (4/22)

Playing at TD Garden can be challenging for visitors, but the Maple Leafs can’t afford to replicate Game 1’s performance. Toronto must find a way to get back on track after opening the first-round series with a four-goal loss and that begins with its star players stepping up.

The Maple Leafs’ top players were nowhere to be found in Game 1 as the likes of Auston Matthews, Mitchell Marner, and John Tavares combined for 13 shots without a goal. What’s even worse is that Toronto’s depth couldn’t figure out a way to step up when the stars were quiet, whereas Boston received great play from its supporting cast.

For reference, Matthews has now gone three consecutive games without scoring against Boston.

The Maple Lefs were also their biggest enemies, leading the giveaway battle 12-9. It didn’t help that Toronto also found itself taking six penalties, resulting in a pair of power-play goals from the Bruins. Considering how the Leafs went down 4-0 when the second PP goal was score, it’s easy to see why staying out of the penalty box would be beneficial tonight.

The Bruins will continue to make the Maple Leafs play if the latter’s penalty issues persist.

Unfortunately, struggling against the Bruins isn’t anything new for the Maple Leafs. Dating back to the 2022-23 regular season, Toronto has now lost eight straight games against Boston, also going just 3-for-21 (14.3%) on the power play with a 77.3% penalty kill success rate (17-for-22) during that stretch.

It doesn’t help that the Leafs have also lost three straight games against the Bruins by an aggregated score of 13-3.

Toronto needs Ilya Samsonov to be better to help even the series. The Russian netminder’s performance has been down lately as he’s played to a 3.41 goals-against average and .888 save percentage in his last 10 appearances. Additionally, he’s finish with a .844 SV% or worse in each of his last three starts.

Meanwhile, Jeremy Swayman has been a rock for the Bruins. Although it’s a small sample size, his 1.79 GAA and .933 SV% across his five previous outings reveals just how well he’s been playing.

Time will tell if the Maple Leafs can return to Toronto with a 1-1 series tie. 

Are the Maple Leafs capable of evening the series? Yes, but I’m still taking the Bruins to win. Boston was easily the better team in Game 1 and that momentum should help them start Game 2 on the right foot. As long as the Leafs’ goaltending and special team struggles linger, it’s going to be tough to beat the Bruins in seven games.

With that in mind, we’ll also take the Over on the 5.5-goal total. It’s a number that was surpassed the series opener and that was without either side’s best players generating much offense. I expect Boston and Toronto’s top stars to step up tonight, resulting in a high-scoring tilt at TD Garden regardless of who wins.

Maple Leafs vs Bruins Game 2 NHL Prediction: BOS wins

Best Maple Leafs vs Bruins NHL Bet: o5.5 Total Goals (-125)

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Best Maple Leafs vs Bruins NHL Game 2 Player Prop (4/22)

Do you know who loves facing the Maple Leafs? Jake DeBrusk. That’s why I’m taking him to record over 0.5 points (+108) for the best prop bet tonight.

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After Game 1’s two-goal effort, DeBrusk now has seven goals and six assists in his last 12 games against Toronto. The veteran forward finished nine of those games with at least one points while making good on this prop in each of his last five encounters with the Leafs, generating nine points during that stretch.

With the Maple Leafs’ goaltending leaving much to be desired lately, don’t be surprised if DeBrusk ends the night with at least one more point.

Best Maple Leafs vs Bruins Prop Bet: Jake DeBrusk o2.5 Shots on Goal (+108)

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