Game 2 Maple Leafs vs Bruins Prediction, Odds & Picks (Apr. 22)

• The Toronto Maple Leafs and Boston Bruins play Game 2 on Monday.
• Leafs forward William Nylander is unlikely to return from injury tonight.
• Read below for Leafs vs Bruins Game 2 prediction, odds, and picks.

The Toronto Maple Leafs will look to even their Round 1 series with the Boston Bruins tonight. Game 2 of Leafs vs Bruins starts at 7:00 PM ET at TD Garden in Boston, with ESPN carrying the broadcast.

The Monday NHL odds favor the Bruins to go up 2-0 in the series, pricing the Bruins as -145 moneyline favorites. The over/under is offered at 5.5 with Boston’s starting goalie still unconfirmed.

Let’s get into our Leafs vs Bruins Game 2 prediction, as we analyze the odds and provide our picks.

Game 2 Maple Leafs vs Bruins Odds

In the Game 2 Leafs vs Bruins odds, Boston is the -145 moneyline favorite, giving them 59.2% implied win probability.

Odds as of April 22, 2024, at BetMGM Sportsbook. Unlock the BetMGM promo code to bet on Game 2 Maple Leafs vs Bruins.

Leafs Stumble in Game 1

The Maple Leafs were one of the highest-scoring teams during the regular season but managed just one goal in their 2024 playoff opener against the Bruins. Fourth-liner David Kampf recorded the lone Toronto tally, although Auston Matthews had a near-miss and fired five shots on net.

The big storyline surrounding Toronto is the health status of William Nylander, who missed Game 1 with an undisclosed injury. The talented Swede participated in the morning skate Monday but did not take part in line rushes. He’s officially listed as “questionable” for Game 2.

William Nylander taking shots after morning skate: pic.twitter.com/VBt5CShLLl

— Joshua Kloke (@joshuakloke) April 22, 2024

Although the final score wasn’t flattering for Toronto, the Leafs held a 62.35 vs 37.65 Corsi percentage edge in the game, indicating they controlled the possession. Furthermore, the Leafs generated 15 high-danger scoring chances at even strength compared to just six for Boston.

The Leafs will look for a strong performance from goalie Ilya Samsonov, who made 19 saves on 23 shots in the series opener, including allowing a goal on Boston’s first shot. Samsonov is Monday’s projected starting NHL goalie, although Joseph Woll is a solid secondary option if the Leafs decide to change things up.

Bruins Mum on Starting Goalie

The Bruins have taken a 1-0 series lead thanks in part to the 35-save goaltending performance from goalie Jeremy Swayman in Game 1. Despite Swayman’s brilliance in the crease, coach Jim Montgomery hasn’t said whether Swayman will get the net in Game 2 or not.

Swayman's net for game 1 👀 pic.twitter.com/WORFmq1Ft0

— B/R Open Ice (@BR_OpenIce) April 20, 2024

The Bruins have rotated goalie starts with Swayman and Linus Ullmark, so it’s possible the Swede gets the crease for Game 2. “It’s gonna be hard to go away from ‘Sway.’ He played a terrific game,” Montgomery said on Saturday.

Boston’s depth scoring was another major factor in Game 1 as Jake DeBrusk scored a pair of goals, while Johnny Beecher and Brandon Carlo also found the net. That’s good news for Bruins fans, as superstar David Pastrnak hasn’t even made his mark on the series yet.

Game 2 Leafs vs Bruins Prediction

All the advanced metrics point to Toronto being the right side on Monday, especially at their plus-money odds. However, we’d like it better if Ullmark was starting, as Swayman’s numbers against Toronto this season are incredible (4-0-0, .950 save percentage).

In the two most recent Game 2s between these clubs, Boston won each time, once to even the series (2019) and the other time to take a 2-0 series lead (2018). Although they weren’t necessarily the better team on paper in Game 1, it’s not hard to see why the oddsmakers like the Bruins in Game 2.

The Leafs are winless in their last five games as road underdogs, and it’s hard to feel confident in them given the goalie mismatch. The Leafs will likely push even harder in this game than they did in Game 1, but as long as Swayman is starting, we’re taking Boston at home.

TOR vs BOS Pick:

• Bruins ML (-145)