The Boston Bruins have a chance to close out their first-round series against the Toronto Maple Leafs in front of a home crowd at the TD Garden on Tuesday.
Veteran Brad Marchand has been the standout performer in the series and is expected to do further damage in Game 5. Bookmaker Pinnacle offers odds at +101 for Marchand to register at least one assist and +217 for him to score in the contest.
※ Current Odds Date & Time: April 29th, 8:00 P.M. (EST)
Marchand has tallied eight points (three goals, five assists) through the first four games of the series. He’s become the Bruins’ all-time leader in postseason goals with 56 markers, and only Ray Bourque (46) has managed more multi-point games in the playoffs for the team than Marchand (40).
Several members of Boston’s old guard have stepped aside in recent years, but Marchand, who will turn 36 next week, is still going strong. The playoffs always seem to bring the best out of him, as this is the fourth year in a row that the gritty winger is averaging over a point per game in the postseason.
The Maple Leafs will look for Auston Matthews to lead the charge. However, he’s considered questionable for Tuesday’s contest after leaving Game 4 due to an illness. Following a 69-goal regular season, Matthews has scored only once in four playoff games, and the Maple Leafs will need to have him back to his best to stave off elimination in Boston.
Toronto has run into health issues at a very bad time. Bobby McCann got hurt near the end of the regular season and has yet to feature in the playoffs, William Nylander missed the first three games of the first-round matchup, and Mitch Marner looks well short of form after returning from an ankle injury.
With only seven goals scored in the series, the Maple Leafs will be desperate to find an extra gear offensively on Tuesday. However, a defensive improvement is also a must. The Bruins are among the highest-scoring teams in the postseason with a 3.50 goals-for average.
Keeping the B’s at bay has been an issue for Toronto for a long time. Boston has scored at least three times in seven of the last eight head-to-head clashes. The recent record between the two teams also makes for some very ugly reading for the Maple Leafs – their Game 2 victory in the series is the team’s lone win in the last 10 meetings.
