Boston Bruins vs Toronto Maple Leafs Prediction: Boston is just one win away from advancing to the second round

Prediction for the NHL Boston Bruins vs Toronto Maple Leafs match which will take place on May 1st. Who will turn out to be stronger? Check the team conditions! Several betting options are available.

Boston was embarrassed last season when they won the regular season by a considerable margin, breaking several records. However, they were sensationally eliminated by Florida in the first round of the playoffs. This year, the Bruins got off to another great start in the regular season but then slowed down a bit to prepare for the start of the Cup battles. They lost their lead in the Eastern Conference and finished fourth, but they're now playing well on the road. They traded wins with Toronto at home, but two exemplary away games, 4:2 and 3:1, mean that Boston is just one win away from advancing to the second round.

Toronto has been a cursed team for the past two decades, as the Maple Leafs have fielded a big-name squad capable of challenging for the title almost every year, but in all that time, they have never managed to make it past the first round of the playoffs. Only last season did they break the losing streak, when they beat Tampa Bay 4:2 in the Eastern Conference quarter-final but then went on to lose 4:1 to Florida. This season, they did well to make the playoffs from fifth place but were knocked out in the first round by the mighty Boston. In their opening four games, Sheldon Keefe's men managed just one win - 3:2 - and three defeats - 1:5, 2:4 and 1:3.

Toronto is a team that has struggled in Cup competitions. In the last two decades, the Maple Leafs have only made it past the first round of the playoffs once. Now, despite a very decent regular season, they are struggling mightily. Such a modest showing from Sheldon Keefe's wards is hardly surprising, as the Bruins eliminated them in the Eastern Conference quarter-finals. Before the series began, they had won seven meetings, and in the playoffs, they added three more wins to their tally.

The confrontation between Boston and Toronto in recent years has not been a high-scoring affair. Jim Montgomery and Sheldon Keefe prefer to play hockey chess rather than put on a bright, sharp, attacking show. In their nine previous meetings, the rivals have combined for just 43 goals (an average of 4.78 per game), a modest statistic. The Maple Leafs particularly struggled in attack, allowing 15 goals (1.67 per game) at that time.