Bruins a Strong Straight-Up Play at Toronto

The Toronto Maple Leafs will be without one of their top scoring options for Saturday's Original Six meeting with the visiting Boston Bruins. John Tavares will miss at least the next two weeks with a broken finger, and that could put the Maple Leafs in a bind against the red-hot Bruins.

Sportsbook Odds Analysis

The earliest line on this game had it set as a pick'em, but the Maple Leafs have since moved to modest betting favorites at home even with Tavares out of the lineup. The total has shifted from 6 goals to 6.5 goals at some sportsbooks.

Boston News & Notes

Boston had its toughest test of the young season on Thursday night, falling 4-3 in a shootout against visiting Tampa Bay. However, the Bruins are still a strong 5-1-1 on the campaign. Goaltending and defense have been the biggest catalysts for the Bruins' early-season success; they rank third overall in goals against (1.86), first in save percentage (.944) and seventh on the penalty kill (86.4 percent).

But for as good as the Bruins have been so far, their 5-on-5 play could use some work. Boston enters the weekend with just 11 5-on-5 goals through its first seven games, ranking in the bottom third league-wide in that category. Balance has also been a problem, with David Pastrnak (eight) and Brad Marchand (four) accounting for 12 of the team's 19 goals so far.

Toronto News & Notes

While the focus will undoubtedly be on how the Maple Leafs adjust without Tavares, Toronto will also need to be defensively sound and well-disciplined against a Bruins team converting at a 38.1-percent clip on the power play. The Maple Leafs rank in the middle of the pack in penalty kill success rate (80.8 percent) but rank eighth in the NHL in power-play chances against (26).

As for the offense without Tavares, much of the burden will fall on the dynamic duo of Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner, who have combined for 10 goals and seven assists over their first eight games. Marner, in particular, has been a Bruins killer over his career, having racked up five goals and 13 assists in 12 career meetings with Boston.

Betting Pick: Bruins SU

Boston has been the superior defensive team, while the Maple Leafs have struggled mightily against stronger competition so far this season. We like the visitors to cash in on the underdog odds.