The Bruins are in good shape headed into the playoffs

Well, the confidence should be there for Boston Bruins fans.

The team is going up against a familiar opponent in the first round of the playoffs this season, and the wonderful people in Las Vegas seem to like their odds. The series, set to start on Thursday night at 7:00 p.m.--is one the Bruins should be able to win.

One might wonder why we are saying that. Well, OddsShark.com, put a -150 money line on them which means a victory is more probable than not.

Certainly, the Bruins will have to show they can perform in the later rounds of the playoffs if they get the job done here. That is something they have struggled with in recent years. However, at least right now, the Bruins are in a good spot. They have home ice advantage during this series, and they were dominant at TD Garden this season; their 29-9-3 record on that ice was the second best in the NHL. Only the Tampa Bay Lighting did better. Oh yeah, and the B's have won 12 of their last 14 at home, so that's a plus...

The Bruins played the Maple Leafs four times during the regular season and beat them thrice. That has to be a positive sign headed into this playoff series, right? Sure, it's a small sample size, but it is the only one we have that's relevant, so we'll use it.

Some might drone on about history and all that stuff. Sure, it's interesting to hear, but is it really germane to what's going on here and now? The Bruins are a different team than they even were three months ago, if you really think about it.
But yeah, this should definitely be a good series. The B's have the edge, in theory. Now let's see how that theory plays out.