Toronto Maple Leafs (35-24-8) at Los Angeles Kings (25-35-6)
NHL Hockey: Thursday, March 5, 2020 at 10:30 pm (Staples Center)
The Line: Los Angeles Kings +153 / Toronto Maple Leafs -170 --- Over/Under: 6 Click Here for the Latest Odds
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The Toronto Maple Leafs and Los Angeles Kings meet Thursday in NHL action at the Staples Center.
The Toronto Maple Leafs need a win after splitting their last 10 games. The Toronto Maple Leafs are averaging 3.5 goals per game and are scoring on 23.8 percent of their power play opportunities. Auston Matthews leads Toronto with 46 goals, Mitch Marner has 49 assists and Morgan Rielly has 122 shots on goal. Defensively, the Toronto Maple Leafs are allowing 3.2 goals per game and are killing 76.9 percent of their opponents power plays. Frederik Andersen has given up 142 goals on 1,514 shots faced and Michael Hutchinson has allowed 48 goals on 421 shots. The Toronto Maple Leafs have allowed three or more goals in 12 of their last 19 games.
The Los Angeles Kings look to stay hot after winning six of their last nine games. The Los Angeles Kings are averaging 2.5 goals per game and are scoring on 16.9 percent of their power play opportunities. Anze Kopitar leads Los Angeles with 20 goals, Drew Doughty has 25 assists and Dustin Brown has 153 shots on goal. Defensively, the Los Angeles Kings are allowing 3.1 goals per game and are killing 76.3 percent of their opponents power plays. Jonathan Quick has given up 116 goals on 1,166 shots faced and Cal Petersen has allowed 16 goals on 215 shots. The Los Angeles Kings have allowed three or more goals in 10 of their last 16 games.
The Maple Leafs are 27-10 in their last 37 vs. Pacific, 5-2 in their last 7 vs. Western Conference and 1-4 in their last 5 games as a road favorite. The Kings are 26-56 in their last 82 games as an underdog, 19-46 in their last 65 games following a win and 14-37 in their last 51 vs. Eastern Conference. The over is 4-1 in Maple Leafs last 5 overall. The under is 3-0-1 in Kings last 4 home games. The Maple Leafs are 1-4 in the last 5 meetings in Los Angeles and 4-1 in the last 5 meetings.
The Toronto Maple Leafs have had their way with the Kings in recent meetings and are the better team to where they should be favored even on the road. The problem is I don't love siding with the Maple Leafs as road favorites due to a defense that can really stink up the joint. The Los Angeles Kings have played decent hockey over the last two weeks and it makes them an attractive option at home at this price. Give me the home dog.
Randy’s Pick Los Angeles Kings +153
AUTHOR: Randy Chambers
Follow Randy Chambers on Twitter @WizardOf0dds