The playoffs are better when the Toronto Maple Leafs and Boston Bruins collide.

The latest: This is the fourth postseason meeting between the two since 2013. The Bruins have won all three and dominated Toronto during the regular season, nabbing home ice for the first-round matchup.

Check out our Maple Leafs vs. Bruins NHL playoff betting preview and odds for the series.

Maple Leafs vs. Bruins betting preview

These rivals haven't squared off since the 2019 postseason, meaning there hasn't been a Maple Leafs vs. Bruins showdown since before the pandemic.

Neither franchise forgets how that series played out, though, as Boston secured its third seven-game series victory of the decade.

But it's 2024 now and the question is: Can Toronto overcome its boogeyman?

Find out below, where we'll feature key trends and I'll make my series prediction.

Maple Leafs vs. Bruins betting preview: Series markets 

Click linked odds below to add selection to your betslip.

NHL odds as of 10:50 a.m. ET on 04/18/2024.

Boston finds itself as a slim favourite in this series.

NorthStar Bets is giving the Bruins 58.16% implied odds to win. Some of that comes from their home-ice advantage.

Part of it is based on regular season results, too.

Boston finished second in the Atlantic Division and just a point out of first while Toronto was a fairly distant third.

Head-to-head stats

Toronto fans and bettors alike won't find any reassuring stats or information in this section.

Boston swept the regular-season series, scoring four wins over its divisional rival.

The first two meetings, which occurred late in 2023, were the closest. The Bruins earned a 3-2 shootout win and a 4-3 overtime victory.

The two games in 2024, occurring across three days in March, didn't treat the Maple Leafs kindly. They lost both contests 4-1.

The under and Boston puck line both cashed in three of four games.

Maple Leafs vs. Bruins preview: Betting trends to know

Let's start by looking at how Toronto performed against the puck line and in the totals market (NHL rank in parentheses).

The Maple Leafs were lousy at winning by two-plus goals this year but did play in plenty of high-scoring games.

That was especially true to close out the season. The over cashed in each of their last five contests.

That's close to being the opposite of how Boston performed in the same categories.

The over was a rare occurrence in Bruins games but the under cashed at a pretty impressive rate.

They played to the under in eight of their last nine games to wrap up the campaign, entering the final day of the season sixth in goals against average (2.70).

Goalie watch

It's unclear who will get the starting assignments in Game 1 but for two completely different reasons.

The Bruins boast an embarrassment of riches between the pipes. Both Jeremy Swayman (.916 save percentage) and Linus Ullmark (.915) performed at an elite level this year.

Swayman, however, started three of the four games against Toronto and was spectacular. He won all three outings, holding the Maple Leafs to four goals.

Ullmark was strong in his lone start against Toronto, stopping 37 of 40 shots in a 4-3 victory.

Toronto's goaltending situation, meanwhile, is as bleak as it has been all season.

Joseph Woll hasn't been sharp since returning from an ankle injury. He's won three of nine starts and owns a poor .884 save percentage.

Ilya Samsonov's recent numbers don't offer much encouragement. He had an .865 save percentage over his final five games.

Woll started three of the four games against Boston, posting an .865 SV%. Samsonov stopped 38 of 40 shots when he faced the Bruins.

Player watch

All eyes will be on Auston Matthews and David Pastrnak.

Matthews, who scored an NHL-best 69 goals, is first in goals across the last three seasons (169) while Pastrnak is tied for second (148).

They're two of the best in the league at putting the puck in the net, but only one has had great head-to-head and postseason success.

Here are Matthews' all-time numbers against Boston, as well as his playoff production.

While the numbers aren't shabby, they pale in comparison to his dominance in the regular season.

Matthews' goals-per-game rate against the Bruins (.55) and playoff GPG rate (.44) would extrapolate to 44 and 36 goals, respectively, over an 82-game season.

For comparison, this is how Pastrnak has performed:

Pastrnak's scoring averages, meanwhile, would work out to 51 goals in 82 games against Toronto and 37 in 82 postseason outings.

Don't discredit Pastrnak's work as a playmaker, either, as he's averaging more than a point per game against the Maple Leafs and in the playoffs.

Matthews is failing to hit that mark in either category.

Pastrnak has dominated this matchup despite Matthews being the best scorer of this generation.

Maple Leafs vs. Bruins: Series prediction

My pick: Bruins to win (-139)

Bettors will have to pay up for Boston but it's the right side to wager on.

Toronto hasn't shown that it's ready to break free from its tormentor. The Bruins soundly swept the season series, looking especially impressive in the last two meetings.

The Maple Leafs are running into goalie issues at the absolute worst time. Samsonov looks more like the netminder who was sent to the minors earlier this season while Woll hasn't regained his pre-injury form.

Boston has two options to turn to in net and a penalty kill that can be trusted.

The Bruins finished with the seventh-best PK in the league (82.5%). Toronto, on the other hand, ranked a brutal 23rd (76.9%).

A crucial kill could end up being the difference in a series where the margin for error will be thin.

Pick made at 11:00 a.m. on 04/18/24.