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- What: Los Angeles Kings vs. Toronto Maple Leafs
- Date: Tuesday, October 31, 2023
- Location: Scotiabank Arena, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- Time: 8:00 p.m. ET
- How to Watch: ESPN
The Los Angeles Kings begin an Eastern Conference swing on Tuesday, October 31, when they face the Toronto Maple Leafs for the first time in the 2023-24 NHL season. The Kings are currently the No. 3 in the Pacific Division with a 4-2-2 record. Meanwhile, the Maple Leafs sit in second place in the Atlantic Division with a record of 5-2-1. Here is some background on the LA Kings and the Toronto Maple Leafs before we look at the betting odds, picks, and predictions for Tuesday’s matchup.
The LA Kings finished the 2023 NHL season with a 47-25-10 record, which put the team in the No. 5 spot in the Western Conference. The Edmonton Oilers defeated the Kings 4-2 in the first round of the 2023 NHL playoffs. LA has yet to win a playoff series since they club captured the Stanley Cup in 2014. The Kings head into Tuesday night’s game against the Leafs following a loss to the Vegas Golden Knights on Saturday.
The Toronto Maple Leafs posted an 111-point season last year, finishing the season with a 50-21-11 record. In the postseason, Toronto won its first playoff series since they went to the Eastern Conference semifinals in 2004, beating the defending Stanley Cup champion Tampa Bay Lightning in six games. The club’s playoff run ended in the next round when the Florida Panthers downed the Leafs in five games. The Leafs have a new GM for the 2024 NHL season, as Brad Treliving takes over for Kyle Dubas. Toronto’s last game was an overtime loss to the Nashville Predators.
Before we look at the betting breakdown for Tuesday’s NHL matchup between the LA Kings and Toronto Maple Leafs, check out our betting picks to win the 2024 Stanley Cup and our tips for betting on the NHL.
LA Kings vs.Toronto Maple Leafs betting picks – October 31, 2023
| Teams |  |  |  |
| Toronto Maple Leafs | -160 | -160 | -160 |
| Los Angeles Kings | +140 | +140 | +140 |
LA Kings betting breakdown
The Los Angeles Kings have made the NHL playoffs in each of the past two seasons. However, the team has not made it past the first round. However, ownership is not giving up on the current management team. The club has the same coach, GM, and president as last year. That group made some off-season changes in the hopes of making a deep run at the end of the 2024 NHL season. Los Angeles re-signed trade deadline acquisition Vladislav Gavrikov and made a trade for Pierre-Luc Dubois. They join a core group of players in Drew Doughty, Anze Kopitar, and Trevor Lewis, who played for the team the last time the Kings made it past the first round of the playoffs. In addition, the team has a group of young players it has developed since that playoff win.
Goaltending could be a concern for the team, as Cam Talbot has not played more than 50 games in a season since 2018. Backup goalie Pheonix Copley has a 4.98 goals against average to go with a .788 save percentage in 44:12 of ice time this season.
Kevin Fiala leads the Kings in scoring this year with 11 points in eight games (1 goal and 10 assists). The team’s leading goal scorer is Trevor Moore with five markers.
Toronto Maple Leafs betting breakdown
Scoring depth was an issue for the Toronto Maple Leafs last season. To address that, the team picked up Tyler Bertuzzi and Max Domi in the offseason. Bertuzzi had 30 points in 50 games, splitting last season with the Boston Bruins and Detroit Red Wings. As for Domi, he had 56 points in 80 games with the Chicago Blackhawks and Dallas Stars. Bertuzzi and Domi look to complement the Maple Leafs’ core offense, which consists of Auston Matthews, William Nylander, Mitch Marner, and John Tavares.
Goaltending is an issue for the Leads in 2024. Ilya Samsonov has not played well this season. He has a 3.99 goals against average and a .841 save percentage. The team’s backup, Joseph Woll, has a 1.33 goals against average and a .961 save percentage. The Leafs are going to need to take a hard look at who is going to carry the load in the net for the team.
Nylander leads the team in scoring with 12 points (6G, 6A), while Matthews is first in goals with seven.
Best bet for LA Kings vs.Toronto Maple Leafs
The LA Kings are 3-0 on the road this season. They have scored 17 goals in those games and held their opponents to eight goals. Meanwhile, the Maple Leafs are 2-1 at home. We’re going with the hot road team in this matchup. The betting pick is the LA Kings to beat the Toronto Maple Leafs.
Betting pick: LA Kings to beat Toronto Maple Leafs.
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