Online Sportsbook Overview
The Boston Bruins are the defending Stanley Cup champions that everyone expected to be at the top of the NHL standings again this year. With Boston’s physical style of defense, speed on offense and the goaltending of Tim Thomas, it is not hard to see why Boston keeps on rolling along. But the Toronto Maple Leafs was not expected to be a sustained element at the top of the Northeast Division standings. The Leafs had its goalie in James Reimer and that was all that Toronto was supposed to have. But general manager Brian Burke looks like a genius as his roster has gelled into becoming one of the top offensive teams in the league.
The problem for Toronto is that it feels like the team is playing on borrowed time. James Reimer has been out of the line-up since October 22 with an injury, but yet the Leafs keep on rolling. The price per head bookie websites are expecting the Leafs to start tumbling back down the Northeast Division standings without its goalie, but Toronto keeps putting up enough goals to keep on winning. The Leafs have a home and home series coming up with the Bruins where they play in Toronto on Wednesday and then in Boston on Saturday. These two games will give a good indication of where the Leafs are at without their goalie in net.
Boston Bruins
It was a rough start for the Bruins, but the defending Stanley Cup champions have finally risen to the top of the Northeast Division. However, Boston was only able to rise as high as second in the division. The very top spot in the Northeast Division is occupied by the Toronto Maple Leafs. The Bruins play a tough style of defense and it has paid off for the team. In the last 10 games, the Bruins are 9-0-1 with the only blemish being a shoot-out loss to Detroit on November 25. The price per head fans in Boston are happy with the team’s start, and the team is finally rolling in a direction that puts it near the top of the NHL standings. The Bruins have finally become the test against which all other teams are graded.
Toronto Maple Leafs
Much to the surprise of the Maple Leafs’ faithful, back-up goalie Jonas Gustavsson has been instrumental in preserving the team’s three-game winning streak. A 5 dimes review of the play of Gustavsson shows that he has been keeping teams at three goals or less for four consecutive games and that Gustavsson himself is actually riding a four-game winning streak. But the Bruins will crash the net and make the Leafs earn this win, if that is what the Leafs wind up doing.
The Bottom Line
After more than a quarter of the season gone, it is safe to say that the Leafs can be considered playoff contenders this season. But before the Toronto faithful are convinced that they can stop throwing waffles on the ice, they will need to see Toronto compete against a team like the Bruins. The Leafs may not win either of these upcoming games, or the best it may do is a split. But if the Leafs can make a strong showing against Boston, then that sets up an interesting rest of the season.
Pick: Boston Bruins
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