The Boston Bruins will begin their Eastern Conference playoff journey by hosting the Toronto Maple Leafs in the first round. This will mark the fifth time these two teams meet this season, with the Bruins winning all four of their regular-season matchups against the Maple Leafs. In their most recent meeting on March 7, Boston emerged victorious with a 4-1 win.
Both teams have had strong seasons overall, with Boston boasting a record of 47-20-15 and Toronto posting a record of 46-26-10. However, when it comes to scoring at least three goals, the Bruins have been particularly successful, compiling a record of 44-3-7 in those games. On the other hand, the Maple Leafs have found success when they serve fewer penalty minutes than their opponent, winning 24 out of those situations (9-2).
Some key performers for Boston include Charlie Coyle, who has scored 25 goals with 34 assists, and Pavel Zacha, who has tallied four goals and eight assists in his last 10 games. For Toronto, Mitchell Marner leads the way with 27 goals and 57 assists, while Auston Matthews has scored ten goals and three assists in his last ten games.
In their last ten games leading up to this matchup, Boston went 6-4-0 while averaging just under two goals per game (2.5) and giving up an average of just over one goal per game (2.1). Meanwhile, Toronto went 5-4-1 in their last ten games while averaging over three goals per game (3.7) but giving up an average of just under three goals per game (3.5).
Both teams are dealing with injuries heading into this playoff showdown. The Bruins will be without Justin Brazeau (upper body), Milan Lucic (personal), and Matthew Poitras (shoulder), while Toronto is missing Bobby McMann (lower body), John Klingberg (out for the season due to hip injury), Matt Murray (hip injury), Max Domi (undisclosed health issues), Calle Jarnkrok
