The Boston Bruins went the distance with the Toronto Maple Leafs and used home ice advantage to score a decisive 5-1 in game seven to advance to the Eastern Conference semifinal. Meanwhile the Columbus Blue Jackets have been practicing and scrimmaging in front of large crowds of eager fans thrilled with the franchise’s first ever playoff series win last week over the top seeded Tampa Bay Lighting. Now the immediate question for game one is if Boston can refocus and have enough in the tank after a full seven games against the Leafs. Conversely there are concerns that Columbus may be rusty following a nine-day break. Will they be able to reignite momentum?
Columbus Blue Jackets vs. Boston Bruins Game 1
Date and Time: Thursday, April 25, 2019, 7 p.m. ET
Location: TD Garden, Boston, Massachusetts
NHL Betting Online Odds at Bookmaker.eu: Check Back Later
Blue Jackets vs. Bruins TV Coverage: NBCSN
Odds Analysis
Boston is one of the most public teams not just in the NHL but for any sport and will draw their share of live betting action based on their marquee status and home ice advantage. Sharps will be less impressed with the Bruins and their price tag and my gravitate to the Blue Jackets as a proven underdog betting value.
Columbus Overview
The Columbus Blue Jackets epic four game sweep of the Tampa Bay Lightning will go down in history for several reasons. First the Lighting were the Presidents Trophy winner as the far and away best team in the regular season. Second, Columbus won their first ever playoff series since their founding in 2000. Head coach John Tortorella has seen a career renaissance after being a virtual pariah following an epic career melt down firing by the Vancouver Canucks after the 2014 season. Tortorella used the year off to re-evaluate himself and adapt to the modern game and players. At Columbus he has totally won over the players and the Blue Jackers are in their most successful era in team history with three consecutive playoff seasons.
Boston Overview
Few teams are as “old money” as the Boston Bruins. Playing in the “Hub of Hockey” this Original Six franchise has been at the forefront of American sports ever since the great Bobby Orr took the stage in the late 1960’s and led the Bruins to a pair of Stanley Cup titles in 1970 and 1972. Current head coach Bruce Cassidy has led the Bruins to the playoffs in all three of his seasons as a head coach and has improved Boston’s offensive production while not sacrificing what was always a tough defensive team.
Matchup Keys
Two of the best goaltenders in the NHL will take the ice in this one. Boston’s Tuukka Rask was clutch against Toronto and posted a .928 save percentage in that series. Columbus netminder Sergei Bobrovsky was even better against Tampa Bay with a .932 save percentage.
Head to Head
This season the Bruins won two out of their three games with the Blue Jackets with the teams splitting two games at Columbus and Boston winning the lone home game in this matchup. Nine of the last ten between these teams have gone over the total. At TD Garden the Bruins have won three of their last four games against the Blue Jackets with four of the last five in this matchup at TD Garden going over the total.
Free NHL Live Betting Odds Pick
Columbus stands a good chance to jump all over the Bruins in game one. They will be well rested compared to Boston. And after eliminating the best team in the league CBJ will not be lacking in confidence.
NHL Live Betting Odds Picks: Columbus Blue Jackets
NHL Live Betting Odds Score Prediction: Blue Jackets 3, Bruins 2
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