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The NHL Playoffs have finally arrived and we have a great game on the first day of the postseason. The Washington Capitals will host the Boston Bruins at Capital One Arena in D.C. for Game 1 of the best-of-sneve series between the #2 seed and the #3 seed in the Central Division.

Boston is a road favorite for both the game the series as this price has grown in a big way on the overnight lines. The Bruins are up to the -130 range at Bookmaker Sportsbook with a total of 5.5 with heavy under juice.

Let’s see if we can find a play on the side or total for this one.
<h2><strong><u>Boston Bruins</u></strong></h2>
The Bruins came up on the short end 2-1 on Tuesday to even up the season series at four games apiece. Boston didn’t play a full roster and the Capitals were able to secure what wound up being a largely meaningless win, as nothing could happen with the standings as a result of the game.

The Bruins had that setback in the finale, but had won six of eight games prior to that and it would appear that bettors are excited about Boston coming into the playoffs. It’s hard not to be, as the Bruins are pretty healthy overall, whereas Washington has had all sorts of injury concerns and considerations the last few weeks.

Boston allowed the fifth-fewest 5-v-5 goals during the regular season and had 100 more scoring chances than the opposition. For the most part, Boston played very well at 5-v-5, but so did Washington. So, what’s the difference in this series? Well, it’s quite simple, really. The Bruins have a massive goaltending edge.

Tuukka Rask, who opted out of last year’s bubbled playoffs because of a family concern, doesn’t have to prove anything to anybody, but you can bet that he has a little bit of a chip on his shoulder here. Rask was 15-5-2 with a 2.28 GAA and a .913 SV% in his regular season games. The Bruins had quite a timeshare with Jaroslav Halak and then Jeremy Swayman, but it will be Rask’s net in the playoffs.
<h2><strong><u>Washington Capitals</u></strong></h2>
Goaltending was going to be the question mark for the Capitals no matter what this season. Vitek Vanacek will get the call in the playoffs after posting a 21-10-4 record with a 2.69 GAA and a .908 SV% during the regular season. Vanacek and backup Ilya Samsonov will look to backstop a team with a ton of firepower going into the postseason.

Washington’s 131 goals at 5-v-5 rank in the top five and the Capitals at +24 in 5-v-5 goal differential. Injuries have been a factor for the Capitals for a while, but they’ve kept pushing forward with a lot of different players contributing. The Capitals were unable to add reinforcements to the roster a few different times due to salary cap constraints. Fortunately, most of their guys will be in the lineup here.

Alex Ovechkin is among those that have missed time lately, along with Nicklas Backstrom. Tom Wilson also got banged up in the last week of the regular season, so that will be another thing for Washington to deal with going into this series.

The Capitals did rack up a lot more high-danger scoring chances than the Bruins and that could be the key in this game and this series. With Boston’s goaltending advantage, Washington will need to get high-quality looks against Rask and also get some key saves from Vanacek.
<h2><strong><u>Bruins vs. Capitals Free Pick</u></strong></h2>
The Bruins took a lot of money very early in the betting process for this game and you certainly have to respect those dollars. That being said, while Boston is the road favorite with the big goaltending advantage, the Capitals still have a lot of firepower and can be extremely dangerous.

These two teams have already played eight times. Now that the playoffs are here, I would expect teams to really tighten things up. They have seen a lot of the opposition and everything is out in the open. Familiarity often breeds a low-scoring environment, which is what I’d look for in this game.

<strong>Pick: Under 5.5</strong>

Bruins vs. Capitals Game 1 Free Pick & Prediction - 05/15/21

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<p>Planning on watching today's Golden Knights and Maple Leafs game? Catch the action at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto, ON, as the Maple Leafs hosts this showdown at 7:00 ET on ESPN+. The over/under for this game is set at 6.5 goals, and the Maple Leafs are favored by -1.5 vs. the Golden Knights in a non-conference matchup.</p><h3>VEGAS GOLDEN KNIGHTS VS TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS BETTING PICK</h3><p>The Pick: Toronto Maple Leafs -1.5</p><p>This game will be played at Scotiabank Arena at 7:00 ET on Tuesday, February 27th.</p><h3>WHY BET THE TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS:</h3><ul><li>The Maple Leafs enter this game as 1.5-goal favorites and in our projections and we anticipate them winning by a score of 4-3.</li><li>Take the Maple Leafs on the moneyline</li><li>On the spread, we like Golden Knights (+1.5)</li></ul><h3>Is a Road Win Possible for the Golden Knights?</h3><p><p>On the season, the Golden Knights have gone 32-19-7, which has them in 2nd place in the Pacific Division and 5th in the Western Conference. In their last 10 games, Vegas has gone just 4-6, and they have lost three straight games. On the road, the Golden Knights have gone 13-10-5, and they have gone 11-7 against other Pacific Division teams.</p>

<p>When playing as the underdog, Vegas has gone 12-7-3 this season, and they have been the underdog in 22 of their 58 games. Against other Western Conference teams, the Golden Knights have gone 21-13 this season. This year, Vegas has been the favorite in 36 of their games, and they have gone 20-12-4 in those games.</p></p><p>On the road this season, the Golden Knights have gone 14-14 vs. the puck line, and their average scoring margin per game is at +.4 goals per game. So far, Vegas has been the underdog in 22 games, and their puck line record as the underdog is at 16-6.</p>

<p>So far, the Golden Knights have 19 wins by multiple goals, and their puck line record for the season is at 29-29. In their last ten road games, Vegas has gone 5-5 vs. the puck line.</p> <p>On average, Vegas' games have finished with 6.1 goals per game. The season's average over/under line stands at 6.1. In total, the Golden Knights come in with an over/under record of 27-31-0.</p><p>Vegas has played well in their previous three road games, going 2-1 straight up. In this stretch, they averaged 3 goals per game while allowing 2. The team also performed well vs the puck line at 2-1.</p><p>On offense, the Golden Knights are averaging 3.1 goals per game which is 16th in the NHL. In terms of shots on goal per game, they are 17th in the league. The Vegas offense is ranked 17th in power play goals. As for shorthanded goals, they find themselves at 11th in the NHL.</p><p>Vegas' leading goal scorer is Jonathan Marchessault. So far this season, he has 30 goals, placing him 14th in the NHL. Along with his scoring, he has come up with 18 assists so far.</p><p>Defensively, the Maple Leafs come into the season ranked 23rd in goals allowed. Opponents are averaging 29.6 shots per game against Toronto. For the season, they are ranked 5th in shutouts, coming in with 4 shutouts.</p><p>Goalie Adin Hill gets the start and has made 23 starts this season. His record at this point is 14-5, and his save percentage is 0.626%.</p><h3>Will Toronto Secure A Victory as Home Favorites?</h3><p><p>At 74 points, the Maple Leafs are in 4th place in the Eastern Conference and 3rd in the Atlantic Division. Toronto has a record of 33-16-8, including a mark of 15-10-2 at home. The Maple Leafs come into tonight's game having won seven straight games and are 8-2 in their last ten contests.</p>

<p>For the season, Toronto has been favored in 47 of their 57 games and has gone 28-12-7 in those games. The Maple Leafs have won six straight games when they have been favored.</p></p><p>At home, the Maple Leafs have a puck line record of 9-18, and their average scoring margin is +.6 goals per game. So far, Toronto has gone 21-36 against the puck line this season, and they have 18 losses by just one goal. In their last ten home games, the Leafs have a puck line mark of 4-6.</p>

<p>As the favorite, Toronto's puck line record is 14-33, and they have 18 multiple-goal wins on the year. Over their last five games, the Maple Leafs have a puck line record of 5-0, and their average scoring margin when favored is +.7 goals per contest.</p> <p>This season, Toronto's games have an average of 6.9 goals per game. The average over/under number for the season is 6.5. The Maple Leafs come in with an over/under performance of 31-24-2.</p><p>When looking at their past three road matchups, Vegas has an puck line record of 2-1 while averaging 3 per game. The team went 2-1 overall in these games.</p><p>Offensively, the Maple Leafs come into the game at 3.7 goals per contest placing 4th in the NHL. In terms of shots on goal per game, they are in 6th position in the league. Toronto's offense is currently ranked 6th in power play goals. When it comes to shorthanded goals, they are 12th in the league.</p><p>The leading scorer for Toronto's offense is Auston Matthews. Coming into the game he has 52 goals, ranking 1st in the NHL. Along with his scoring, he has come up with 25 assists so far.</p><p>Defensively, the Maple Leafs come into the season ranked 23rd in goals allowed. Opponents are averaging 29.6 shots per game against Toronto. For the season, they are ranked 5th in shutouts, coming in with 4 shutouts.</p><p>Heading into this matchup vs. Vegas, goalie Ilya Samsonov has started 26 games in this season. His current record is 14-4, and his save percentage stands at 0.607%.</p>

Vegas Golden Knights vs Toronto Maple Leafs Betting Pick & Prediction 2/27/24

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