NHL Betting: What to Expect in the Final Game of the Boston vs. Toronto Series

The Toronto Maple Leafs looked like their season was over after going down 1-3, but a pair of one goal wins sets up what should be a thrilling Game 7. Both teams have a lot on the line tonight as the Bruins hope to avoid a second consecutive first round exit while the Maple Leafs hope to shake off years of disappointment.

Below, we’ll share the latest odds and insights from our USA Legal Betting experts to help you bet confidently on the series on NHL betting sites this weekend.

Boston enters Game 7 as a home favorite, but not by much. Here are the current odds courtesy of bet365 Sportsbook:

The first thing to know about this team is their resiliency. They have played in back-to-back one goal games, edging out Boston in both. While they’ll be heading back to Boston for Game 7, two of Toronto’s three wins have come there, showing they can win in that hostile environment.

While this series is tied at three, Toronto has been outscored 16-11. Boston scored 14 of those goals through the first four games, but things turned around when the Leafs made a change in goalie. The struggling Ilya Samsonov is out, and backup Joseph Woll is in. The 25-year-old has been incredible across two starts, allowing two goals while saving 96.4% of shots.

While balance is important, a hot goalie can certainly lead a team to the Stanley Cup Finals. The Bruins are struggling to get anything past Woll, and the Toronto defense is stepping up to limit the number of shots they are seeing. In Game 6, the Bruins only managed 23 shots, allowing the Leafs to capture a low-scoring victory.

The biggest question mark for Toronto is their ability to score. Center Auston Matthews led the league with 69 goals this season but has found the back of the net just once in 17 shots during the first six games of the series. As impressive as the Bruins defense is, the Leafs scored the second-most goals in the regular season (303).

Given Woll’s youth, it’s hard to expect his hot streak to continue in a crucial Game 7 in Boston. That means if Toronto wants to win, Matthews and company will need to find a way to generate some goals.

While the Boston offense has struggled to figure out Woll, their defense has remained elite. The Bruins were second in the league in goals allowed, letting in 1.83 per game. They are averaging 1.83 through the first six games of the season, allowing Toronto to score more than two goals just once.

Like Toronto, Boston has also turned to a 25-year-old start in goal during the postseason. Jeremy Swayman has been fantastic, allowing two or fewer goals in each of his five starts. Unlike Toronto, the Bruins have a great second option in Linus Ullmark. The veteran has been great in three seasons with Boston and is more than capable of filling in if Swayman buckles under the pressure.

Unlike Toronto, Boston has three players who have scored three goals during this series. While they have gone quiet over the last two games, it’s unlikely that success will last. As good as Woll has been, the blue line of Toronto isn’t great. They finished twenty-first in goals allowed (3.18) during the season, signaling that a course correction could be coming.

Boston has only posted two-or-fewer goals in three straight games once this year. They did so in back-to-back games several times but followed them up with a breakout in the third.