Toronto Maple Leafs at Boston Bruins NHL Picks & Predictions 12/8/2018

Saturday, December 8, 2018

TD Garden

Get todays NHL hockey odds on this game.

The Toronto Maple Leafs travel to TD Garden to play the Boston Bruins on Saturday, December 8, 2018. The opening line for this game has the Maple Leafs at -120 and the Bruins at -108.

Toronto has a record of 20-8-1 this season. They are 2nd in the Atlantic Division. They've scored 106 goals and given up 78 goals for a point differential of +28. For the season they have an ATS record of 20-8-0 and an over/under record of 12-13-0. Boston is 14-10-4 this season. They are 5th in the Atlantic Division. They have scored 73 goals and surrendered 72 for a goal differential of +1. Their record against the spread is 14-13-0 while their over/under record is 8-18-0.

Valuable Toronto Maple Leafs Betting Trends

The Toronto Maple Leafs are 20-8-0 straight up this year

The Toronto Maple Leafs are 12-13-0 against the over/under this season

Important Boston Bruins Betting Trends

The Boston Bruins are 14-13-0 straight up this year

The Boston Bruins are 8-18-0 against the over/under this season

Key Toronto Maple Leafs Injuries

No key injuries to report

Key Boston Bruins Injuries

11/29/18 D Kevan Miller Throat is out indefinitely
11/22/18 C Patrice Bergeron Upper Body is OUT 4-6 weeks
11/16/18 D Zdeno Chara Lower Body is out indefinitely
10/30/18 D Charlie McAvoy Upper Body IR (10/18)

Player Spotlight

Mitch Marner has accumulated 40 total points this season for the Maple Leafs. He has 6 goals this year with 82 shots on goal, giving him a shooting percentage of 7%. He has a total of 34 assists on the season and averages 19.5 minutes played per game. Morgan Rielly averages 22.3 minutes of ice time per game this year. In that time he has a shooting percentage of 12% by scoring 9 goals on 77 shots. He has 22 assists, giving him a total of 31 points on the season. Frederik Andersen has 16 wins and 7 losses this season in net for the Maple Leafs. He has 770 shots against him and he's given up 53 goals. He's made 717 saves for a save percentage of 93%.

Player Spotlight

David Pastrnak has scored 32 total points this year for the Bruins. He has 20 goals this season with 110 shots on goal, giving him a shooting percentage of 18%. He has a total of 12 assists on the season and averages 19.1 minutes played per game. Brad Marchand averages 19.6 minutes of ice time per game. In that time he has a shooting percentage of 9% by scoring 7 goals on 76 shots. He has 17 assists, giving him a total of 24 points on the season. Tuukka Rask has 6 wins and 6 losses this year in goal for the Bruins. He has 394 shots against him and he's surrendered 34 goals. He's made 360 saves for a save percentage of 91%.

Useful Team Statistics

The Maple Leafs have 41 total points this season, which ranks them 2nd in the NHL. They are 3rd in the league in goals scored with 106 while they've given up 78 goals, ranking them 25th overall. They have had 75 power play opportunities and have scored 20 goals on those chances for a percentage of 27%. That is 6th in the NHL. The Maple Leafs have allowed 71 power play opportunities and have given up 14 goals on those chances for a penalty kill percentage of 80%, putting them 14th in the league when short-handed. They average 31 shots per game and as a team shoot 11.64% for the season. They allow 34 shots to their opposition per contest and have a team save percentage of 92%. That puts them 3rd in the league in stopping the puck.

Useful Team Statistics

The Bruins are 15th in the NHL with a total of 32 points this year. They have 24 power play goals on 89 opportunities for a percentage of 27%. That ranks them 4th in the league as a power play unit. They've allowed 87 power play opportunities and have given up 20 goals on those chances for a penalty kill percentage of 77%. That is 23rd in the NHL. As a team, the Bruins are 28th in the league with 73 goals scored while they've given up 72 goals, which is 28th overall. They average 31 shots per contest and have a team shooting percentage of 8.30%. As a team they give up 32 shots per game and have a save percentage of 92%. That is 2nd in the NHL.

Advanced Statistics

Toronto is 17th in the NHL in Corsi percentage with 50%, as they've attempted 1,822 shots on net at full strength while they've given up 1,824 shots on net in the same situations. Their Fenwick percentage is 48.7% as they have 1,344 attempts while they have given up 1,417 shots on the defensive end. That ranks them 20th in the league. The Maple Leafs start possessions in the offensive zone 49.3% of the time, which is 17th in the league, while their defensive zone percentage is at 50.7% for the season. That is 15th overall in the NHL. They have 932 face-off wins compared to 861 losses, meaning their face-off win percentage is 52%. That ranks them 6th in the league. On defense Toronto has 518 hits and they have blocked 407 shots from the opposition, putting them 14th overall.

Advanced Statistics

The Bruins are 5th in the league in starting possessions in the offensive zone, doing so 54.6% of the time. Their defensive zone percentage is at 45.4% for the season, which is 27th in the NHL. They have 828 face-off wins compared to 854 losses, meaning their face-off win percentage is 49.2%. That is 19th in the league. On defense Boston has 600 hits and they have blocked 366 shots from the opposition, which is 28th in the league. Boston is 11th in the NHL in Corsi percentage with 50.7% as they've attempted 1,641 shots on net at full strength while they've given up 1,597 shots on net in the same situations. Their Fenwick percentage of 50.5% ranks 14th as they have 1,254 attempts while they have given up 1,231 shots on the defensive end.

Who will win tonight's Maple Leafs/Bruins NHL game against the spread?

Guy's Pick: Take Boston -108

Get $60 worth of FREE premium member picks. No Obligation. No Salesman. No Credit Card. Fast Sign up with Instant Access Click Here

Read more articles by Guy Bruhn