Toronto Maple Leafs vs. Los Angeles Kings: NHL Odds, Prediction
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Sports Interaction Staff
After such a positive start to the season, the Toronto Maple Leafs entered Wednesday night’s game in Anaheim in the midst of a three-game losing streak and pulled off a 3-1 win. They’ll look to capitalize on that win tonight when they face the Los Angeles but the Kings have been one of the best teams in the NHL so far this season.
Toronto Maple Leafs vs. Los Angeles Kings
Date: Thursday, November 2nd – 10:30 PM ET
Location: Staples Center, Los Angeles, California
NHL Odds: Leafs +130, Kings -150
NHL Odds and Betting Analysis
The Kings have won four of their last seven meetings with the Maple Leafs, with four games coming in under the posted total, along with a push. Four of the games have had a posted total of 5.5, although the most recent meeting had a posted total of six goals even. Matt Martin, Tyler Bozak and Patrick Marleau netted for the Maple Leafs on October 23rd as they defeated the Kings 3-2 at home while Frederik Andersen made 36 saves. Adrian Kempe and Trevor Lewis responded for the Kings, who got 30 saves from Jonathan Quick.
Los Angeles Kings
The Kings had a three-game winning streak snapped with a 4-2 loss in St. Louis on Monday, but keep in mind that that was their final game in a six-game road trip. On the whole, it was still a very successful trip where they went 4-2-0. Overall, they’ve won nine of 12 games and they have yet to lose in regulation at home (4-0-1).
They’ll take on a Maple Leafs squad that is a decent 4-2-0 on the road, but playing on a back-to-back on the road. It’s also the Leafs third road game in four nights, so fatigue could be a factor – especially since they’re an east coast time traveling around the west coast time zone. The Kings have only lost twice in regulation this season and one of those losses was on the road in Toronto. Look for them to exact some revenge tonight.
Toronto Maple Leafs
The Maple Leafs are in the midst of four-game road trip and just got a win in Anaheim on Wednesday. They kicked it off with a 3-2 loss in San Jose on Monday. Auston Matthews and Andreas Borgman scored for the Maple Leafs, although Marleau couldn’t get on the scoresheet in his return to San Jose, where he spent 19 seasons. The Maple Leafs had now been outscored 13-7 in a three-game skid before picking up a win against the Ducks. It might sound like a broken record but they can’t stop opponents from scoring. Toronto is second in the league in goals, but 26th in goals against (although they’re a solid 11th in penalty killing).
Their offense has faded recently. The team has lost three of five and has averaged just 2.6 goals per game. That’s a huge drop-off from the 4.9 goals per game they averaged through their first seven contests. The challenge will be getting that offense going against the Kings, who have allowed the fewest goals in the NHL so far this season.
h3>Maple Leafs vs. Kings Prediction:
Kings 4-2