The Toronto Maple Leafs and the Los Angeles Kings meet in NHL action from the Crypto.com Arena on Tuesday night. Two teams in dire need of a win, who comes out on top? Let’s dive in and find out with our Maple Leafs vs. Kings Prediction.
Toronto Maple Leafs Team Preview
The Toronto Maple Leafs come into this game looking to bounce back from a third straight loss after a 3-2 loss to Carolina in their last matchup. William Nylander leads the Leafs in points with 48 points this season including 17 goals and a team-high 31 assists while Auston Matthews has 44 points with a team-high 29 goals. Mitch Marner has 38 points with 24 assists while John Tavares has 31 points with 11 goals and 20 assists this season. Joseph Woll has posted a 8-5-1 record with a 2.80 GAA and a .916 save percentage while Martin Jones is also 4-3 with a 2.73 GAA and a .915 save percentage as well this season.
Toronto Maple Leafs Team Facts
- The Maple Leafs have won each of their last six games as underdogs following a home loss.
- The Maple Leafs have covered the puck line in each of their last 12 games as underdogs following a loss.
- The ‘Over 1.5 Goals Period 2′ market has hit in each of the Maple Leafs’ last eight night games against opponents on a losing streak.
- The Maple Leafs have won the third period in each of their last four games as underdogs.
Los Angeles Kings Team Preview
The Los Angeles Kings come into this game looking to rebound from back-to-back losses after a 3-2 shootout loss to Edmonton last time out. Anze Kopitar leads the Kings in scoring with 34 points including 14 goals and 20 assists while Kevin Fiala has 31 points with a team-high 23 assists. Adrian Kempe has 33 points with 12 goals and 21 assists while Trevor Moore has 26 points with a team-high 17 goals. Quinton Byfield also has 26 points with 10 goals and 16 assists. Cam Talbot has posted a 14-7-3 mark in goal for the Kings this season with a 2.10 GAA and a .924 save percentage while Pheonix Copley is 4-1-2 with a 3.16 GAA and a .870 save percentage. David Rittich is also 2-0 with a 1.00 GAA and a .951 save percentage as well this season.
Los Angeles Kings Team Facts
- The Kings have won each of their last eight games following a shootout loss.
- The Kings have covered the puck line in each of their last 10 games following a shootout loss.
- The Kings have won the second period in each of their last six games after coming off a shootout.
- The ‘Over 1.5 Goals Period 3′ market has hit in nine of the Kings’ last 10 games after coming off overtime.
Matchup/League Facts
- The Los Angeles Kings rank 1st in the league for goals against per game this season (2.33).
- The Los Angeles Kings rank 1st in the league in penalty kill percentage this season (86.54%).
- The Toronto Maple Leafs rank 6th in the league for goals per game this season (3.53).
- The Toronto Maple Leafs rank 6th in the league in power play percentage this season (25.74%).
Maple Leafs vs. Kings Prediction
I get the case to be made for the Kings being favored at home, but the Leafs are hovering over the panic button right now and frankly, it’s not often you’re going to get this team at plus money, especially with their backs against the wall. The Kings are a really good team, but they’ve done the majority of their best work on the road and I just don’t know if I can get behind them here laying juice in what feels like a big game for the Leafs. Give me Toronto.
