The Toronto Maple Leafs (4-3-1, 1-7 PL, 1-6-1 O/U) take on the Los Angeles Kings (4-5, 5-4 PL, 7-1 O/U) in an inter-conference showdown on Saturday night. The Maple Leafs were dealt a road loss against the Sharks on Thursday night. The Kings lost a narrow home decision to the Jets. Each team logged one win in last year's season series.
The Toronto Maple Leafs are in the late stages of a five-game road trip. They beat the Jets to begin the trek, lost to the Golden Knights, and earned a point in a disappointing 4-3 overtime road loss in San Jose on Thursday night. It’s been a subpar start for a Maple Leafs squad that has pressure to win games and finally register a playoff series win.
Auston Matthews has yet to find last year’s form. The star center scored 60 goals en route to winning the Hart Trophy. The 25-year-old only has two goals in eight games this year but had added five assists. He ended a five-game goalless drought on Thursday night. Matthews had a goal and an assist in two meetings against the Kings last season.
Mitch Marner has amassed three points in his last three clashes. The 25-year-old playmaker accrued a remarkable 97 points last season and is another player that has yet to dominate, collecting only seven points. William Nylander only has one goal in his last five games and has four markers on the year.
Oh my daayyysss! ?? pic.twitter.com/wEpWmU532M
— Toronto Maple Leafs (@MapleLeafs) October 28, 2022
The Maple Leafs will likely have Ilya Samsonov guard the cage in this game. Their big offseason goalie play was to acquire veteran goalie Matt Murray who is already on the IR. Samsonov has been outstanding, recording a stellar 2.01 GAA and a .932 save % accompanied by a 4-1 record. The Maple Leafs are scoring an average of 2.8 goals, landing them 26th They are conceding an average of 2.8 goals, placing them eighth in the NHL.