Trent Reinsmith
- Date & Location: Wednesday, November 24 at Staples Center in Los Angeles, Calif.
- Game Time: 10 p.m. ET
- How to Watch: TNT
The Toronto Maple Leafs were picked to be in the running for the 2021-22 Stanley Cup, but the team had a slow start to the season. The Leafs began the current campaign with a 2-5 record, but the club has turned things around. Since a 3-2 overtime win over the Chicago Blackhawks in late October, Toronto has gone 11-2. The team currently sits in second place in the Atlantic Division.
The Los Angeles Kings have been hot and cold this season. Los Angeles opened the year with a 1-6 record, but then won seven straight games between October 30 and November 11. The Kings have cooled since then and are currently in the midst of a four-game losing skid.
Before we dig into the Toronto vs. Los Angeles matchup, check out the best NHL betting sites and our guide to betting on the 2022 Stanley Cup.
Toronto Maple Leafs Analysis
The Maple Leafs have found the back of the net at a good clip. During the team’s past 13 games, Toronto has outscored their opponents 38-22 with four shutout wins. Overall, Toronto is 18th in scoring in the NHL with 51 goals. The Leafs are connecting at a good clip on the power play. The team’s 23.2 success rate with the extra man puts them at No. 7 in the league. As for goals against, Toronto has shored things up in that department recently and with 45 goals allowed, only six NHL teams have been better defensively. The team’s penalty kill is third-best in the NHL at 88.7 percent.
Toronto’s goaltending numbers are solid. The team has a 2.10 goals against average, which is third-best behind Calgary and Carolina. The team save percentage is also third-best in the NHL at .924 percent.
Toronto does not have a scorer in the top-25 in the league, but Mitch Marner (17 points), John Tavares (16 points) and William Nylander (16 points) all rank in the top-40 in NHL scoring.
Mitchy starts it, then finishes it 🎩#LeafsForever pic.twitter.com/aTYt9MGCRo
— Toronto Maple Leafs (@MapleLeafs) November 22, 2021
Jack Campbell, who is the team’s starting goalie, has played in 16 games this season for Toronto. Campbell’s 1.66 GAA leads the league, as does his .944 SV %. Campbell has three shutouts. No goalie has played as many minutes this season as Campbell has played.
Los Angeles Kings Analysis
Los Angeles is struggling. Opponents have outscored the Kings 12-7 in the club’s past four games and they have last three in a row on home ice. Los Angeles has scored 46 goals this season, which puts them at 22nd in the NHL. The team’s power play is ranked lower. With Los Angeles connecting on the power play at a rate of 15.9 percent, the team sits in the 24th spot in power play goals. Los Angeles has been good defensively. The team has allowed 46 goals against, which almost puts them on par with the Leafs. However, Los Angeles needs to avoid penalties because the team’s penalty kill percentage of 77.8 percent puts them in the 24th spot in that statistic.
Los Angeles has a team GAA of 2.56 and a team SV % of .914.
Big finish, @blemieux22! 🔥#GoKingsGo pic.twitter.com/ydAO6dlTxM
— LA Kings (@LAKings) November 22, 2021
The Kings only have one player in the top-50 in scoring and that is Anze Kopitar, who has 17 points. Kopitar leads the team in goals (8) and assists (9). The club’s next highest scorer is Alex Iafallo who has 13 points (6G, 7A).
Los Angeles has split the goaltending fairly evenly. Jonathan Quick has played 10 games (4-4-2) and Cal Petersen has been in net for eight games (4-3-1). Quick has better numbers with a .939 SV% and a 1.88 GAA.
MyTopSportsbook’s Final Pick
The Kings defeated the Maple Leafs when the teams met in Toronto earlier this month by a score of 5-1. The two teams have gone in opposite directions since that game. I expect the Maple Leafs to get revenge on Los Angeles in this game, the second and final meeting between these two teams for the 2021-22 NHL season.
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