Los Angeles Kings vs. Toronto Maple Leafs Prediction, NHL Odds
The Maple Leafs return home after tallying a 4-0 win in Dallas on Tuesday night, and have now picked up at least a point in 22 of their 27 games so far this season. The Kings travel to Toronto after opening a six-game eastern road trip with a 5-2 win in Ottawa on Tuesday, but have failed to post consecutive victories in 11 games over the past four weeks.
The Maple Leafs lead the way as -182 home favourites on the Thursday NHL odds, and enjoy the backing of 87 per cent of sports bettors. The Kings have improved slightly to +151 underdogs since opening at +156, and the total has dipped to 6.0 after opening at 6.5.
Kings vs. Maple Leafs NHL Betting Odds
Thursday night’s matchup at Scotiabank Arena marks the second and final regular season meeting between these clubs. The Kings skated to a 4-2 victory when they hosted the Leafs on October 29 to claim their third win in four clashes, including a decisive 5-1 victory in their last visit to Toronto in November 2021.
Recent dates between these teams have tended to be low scoring, with the total topping 6.0 just three times in their past 14 meetings, fuelling an 8-5-1 run for the UNDER.
Los Angeles Kings
The Kings opened their current road trip with a dominant performance in Ottawa on Tuesday, storming out of the gate to a 4-1 first-period lead on their way to a 5-2 win over the Senators. The win marked the fourth time in six outings that this team has scored at least five goals. However, that has not been enough to snap them out of the funk that has produced just four wins over their past 11 contests.
Indeed, with goaltender Jonathan Quick struggling and Cal Petersen earning a demotion to the minors with weak play, Pheonix Copley earned his first start of the season in Ottawa, and could be in line for more work on Thursday. Copley enjoyed the benefit of the team’s fast start, led by Viktor Arvidsson, who potted two goals in the opening frame, and has now tallied four goals and three assists over his past seven outings. Six of Arvidsson’s seven recent points have come on the power play, which has produced 11 goals in seven games, but a shaky Kings penalty kill has allowed seven goals over the past five games.
Toronto Maple Leafs
Mitch Marner continued to rewrite the Leafs record book in Tuesday’s win over Dallas. Marner set up John Tavares’ game-opening goal, and with that assist he has now recorded at least a point in a franchise-record 20 consecutive games. Now leading the team with 32 points, Marner has racked up two goals and 11 assists in nine home games during his epic points streak. However, he has started to consistently find the back of the net, scoring six times over the past six games while averaging 4.2 shots on goals per game.
While Marner has been powering the Leafs attack, Matt Murray has been silencing the doubters with his play in the Leafs net. Murray has racked up a 6-0-2 record since returning from injury. However, on Thursday he is expected to give way to Ilya Samsonov, who has allowed just four total goals during a three-game win streak but has yet to see action this month.
Injuries on the blue line have been a constant concern for this club. However, the Leafs expect to have TJ Brodie back in the lineup on Thursday after missing 12 games with an oblique injury. While Brodie has been a responsible defensive presence, he has seen his offensive production slip this season, with no goals and just two assists through 15 outings.
