LA Kings vs Toronto Maple Leafs Preview: Key Points, Projected Lines, and More

The Los Angeles Kings begin another set of back-to-back games tonight against the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Look Back at the Last Meeting:

The Kings and Leafs have met just once this season, coming back in October in just the fourth game of the season. The Leafs won that one 6-2, with LA's goals coming from Kevin Fiala and Alex Turcotte. Both David Rittich and Pheonix Copley played in that game, allowing 6 goals on a combined 26 shots against.

Key Points versus the Colorado Avalanche:

1. Malott of love for Jeff

Despite being shut out in Colorado on Thursday, Kings head coach Jim Hiller was very happy with the play of Kings forward Jeff Malott.

In just his second NHL game and first as a King, the 28-year-old Malott received plenty of praise post-game from LA's bench boss, who said Malott was one of the few bright spots in LA's overall disappointing game. When looking at the style on play Malott brings, this is no real surprise. He plays a fast, physical game, with his best moments coming by way of the forecheck and net front battles, very similar to Tanner Jeannot, whom he replaced.

With praise from Jim Hiller and a back-to-back scheduled, expect Jeff Malott to log more minutes if his services are needed.

2. March Madness, in the Crease

It's been a tale of two different stories in March for tonight's projected starters.

So far in the month of March, Kings goaltender Darcy Kuemper sits at 7-2-1 with a goals-against average of 1.39, a save percentage of .937, and two shutouts. On the other side, for Anthony Stolarz, the month of March has not been too kind to him, as he is sporting an .882 save percentage and a goals-against average of 2.97. This has been a trend for the Leafs since deadline day despite their additions of Brandon Carlo and Scott Laughton, as they hold a team goals against average of 3.2, a tick up from their seasonal average that remains under 3.

Expect goaltending to play a big part in tonight's matchup.

3. Contain Mitch and Matthews

The matchup against Mitch Marner and Auston Matthews will have a large impact tonight.

In their first meeting of the season, the Leafs top-line duo each collected three points, including them each recording an assist on the same goals twice. Unfortunately for LA, they both come into this one red hot, with Marner collecting six points over his last three games and Matthews having 13 points over his last 10 games. With that comes the question of who matches up with them? When looking at the last meeting, it was the Kopitar line. Now, while lines have changed, I would expect LA to counter with the shutdown line of Danault, Moore, and Foegele, or turn to the speed of Quinton Byfield.

Look for LA to counter Matthews and Marner better tonight.

Los Angeles Lineup Notes:

No morning skate today for LA considering the early puck drop, so no word on any potential lineup changes. Here is how the group looked in Colorado:

Look Across the Ice at the Toronto Maple Leafs:

The Leafs come into this one sitting at 5-4-1 over their last 10 after a wild 6-5 shootout loss up in San Jose. Here is how they lined up in that one:

The Leafs are led offensively by Mitch Marner, who sits with 89 points this season. William Nylander has the team lead in goals with 42. Auston Matthews, who has played in just 57 games, has 66 points.

As mentioned above, expect to see Anthony Stolarz get the start after Joseph Woll's rough performance up in San Jose. So far this season, the 2023 cup champ Stolarz is 15-8-3 with a .917 save percentage and a 2.40 goals against average. Stolarz also has one shutout.

The Leafs are without defenseman Jani Hakanpaa due to a knee injury.

How to Tune In:

Tonight's puck drop is scheduled for 4:00 p.m. PST and 7:00 p.m. EST and is available to watch on FanDuel Sports Network West. An audio-only feed is available on the ESPN LA app. Go Kings Go!