Atlanta Thrashers vs Boston Bruins Betting Line
The surprising Atlanta Thrashers (19-12-5, 43 pts) head north to visit the Boston Bruins (17-11-4, 38 pts) Thursday night at TD Bank Garden. Both teams are flirting with first place in their respective divisions, so we should be looking at a hard fought match. Face-off is 7:00 pm ET, and the Bruins are favored to win.
Thrashers vs Bruins Online Sportsbook Betting
These are the latest betting lines from a few of our favorite online sports betting sites. To place a bet, click on any of the links.
- Sportsbook.com: Thrashers 2.40, Bruins 1.63. Puck line: Thrashers 1.43, Bruins 2.95. O/U: 5.5
- Bodog.com: Thrashers 2.40, Bruins 1.62. Puck line: Thrashers 1.43, Bruins 2.90. O/U: 5.5
- BetOnline.com: Thrashers 2.45, Bruins 1.61. Puck line: Thrashers 1.45, Bruins 2.80. O/U: 5.5
Atlanta Thrashers vs Boston Bruins Game Preview
The NHL’s top defensive team, Boston, meets the fifth best offensive team, Atlanta and both are coming off of losses. Atlanta dropped a 4-2 decision to St Louis at home and have dropped three of their last five games. Former Chicago Blackhawk tough guy Dustin Byfuglien is the team’s top scorer with 36 points while winger Andrew Ladd has 31 points. The top centerman is Rich Peverley with 22 points while Nik Antropov has 18 points. Other blueliners playing key roles are Brent Sopel (plus 11) and Ron Hainsey (plus 7). Atlanta’s goaltending has been better than expected. Ondrej Pavelec has played 23 games and won 12 while Chris Mason has won seven of his 16 starts. Pavelec has a superb 1.82 goals against average.
For the Bruins it has been all about goaltending. Starter Tim Thomas’ 1.70 goals against average leads the NHL. Pretty impressive for a 36 year old goalie! Back-up Tuukka Rask was superb last season but spotty so far this year. If he is between the pipes, Boston could be in trouble. Offensively, the Bruins are led by Milan Lucic and his 27 points. David Krejci and Nathan Horton are the only other scorers over the 20 point mark. Micahel Ryder, Patrice Bergeron and veteran mark Recchi all have 19 points. Krejci is a crafty playmaker with excellent hands and a good vision; his improved play has kept Boston in the Northeast Division race.
Defenseman and team captain Zdeno Chara leads the blue line crew. He is plus 14 while Andrew Ference is plus 16; both among the league leaders.
Head coach Claude Julien has come under fire of late as Boston is playing poorly, losing four of their last five games. The players back their coach and a win tonight could provide some much needed inspiration. Monday’s 3-0 loss to Anaheim at home brought out the boo birds from the fickle Boston fans so this contest could start out ugly. Look for the Bruins to get their fans involved with an early fight and establish some on-ice toughness; a hallmark of Bruins hockey.
Boston will start fast and play hard all game long. The Bruins take this one by at least two goals.
