Toronto Maple Leafs (28-21-13, 15th in NHL) vs. Los Angeles Kings (30-27-6, 20th in NHL)
Puck drop: 10:30 p.m. EST
Arena: Staples Center
Watch: Sportsnet Ontario
Matchup Stats
Statistics courtesy of SportingCharts.com
| Stat | Tor | LA |
|---|---|---|
| Points | 69 | 66 |
| Record % | 0.556 | 0.524 |
| Home Winning % | 0.581 | 0.574 |
| Away Winning % | 0.517 | 0.471 |
| Shootout Winning % | 0.125 | 0.25 |
| Goal Differential Per Game | 0.18 | -0.02 |
| Shot Differential Per Game | 0.08 | 4.89 |
| Hits Per Game | 24.6 | 29 |
| PIM Per Game | 10.1 | 9 |
| Opponent PIM Per Game | 10.3 | 9.3 |
| Goals Per Game | 3.05 | 2.44 |
| Even Strength Goals Per Game | 2.27 | 1.92 |
| Power Play Goals Per Game | 0.69 | 0.48 |
| Shots Per Game | 32.7 | 30.9 |
| Shots Per Goal | 10.7 | 12.6 |
| Team Shooting % | 0.093 | 0.079 |
| Power Play % | 0.23 | 0.171 |
| Goals Against Per Game | 2.87 | 2.46 |
| ES Goals Against Per Game | 2.27 | 1.95 |
| PP Goals Against Per Game | 0.53 | 0.46 |
| Shots Against Per Game | 32.6 | 26.02 |
| Shots Against Per Goal | 11.35 | 10.57 |
| Opp. Team Shooting % | 0.088 | 0.095 |
| Penalty Kill % | 0.835 | 0.848 |
| Save % | 0.912 | 0.905 |
| Goals Against Average | 2.83 | 2.43 |
| Shutouts | 4 | 7 |
| Opponent Save % | 0.907 | 0.921 |
| Opponent Goals Against Average | 3 | 2.42 |
| Opponent Shutouts | 2 | 8 |
Who’s Hot
- Auston Matthews: 11 points (six goals, five assists) in last eight games
- Josh Leivo: nine points (one goal, eight assists) in last eight games
- William Nylander: eight points (three goals, five assists) in last eight games
- Tanner Pearson: 13 points (six goals, seven assists) in last nine games
- Jeff Carter: nine points (three goals, six assists) in last nine games
Toronto Maple Leafs Projected Lines
to be adjusted after pregame line rushes
Forwards
Leo Komarov – Nazem Kadri – Connor Brown
Zach Hyman – Auston Matthews – William Nylander
James van Riemsdyk – Tyler Bozak – Mitchell Marner
Matt Martin – Brian Boyle – Nikita Soshnikov
Defencemen
Morgan Rielly – Alexey Marchenko
Jake Gardiner – Nikita Zaitsev
Matt Hunwick – Roman Polak
Goaltenders
Starter: Frederik Andersen (Confirmed)
Backup: Curtis McElhinney
Scratched: Ben Smith, Martin Marincin, Josh Leivo
Injured: Connor Carrick (upper body)
Los Angeles Kings Projected Lines
Forwards
Marian Gaborik – Anze Kopitar – Jarome Iginla
Tanner Pearson – Jeff Carter – Tyler Toffoli
Trevor Lewis – Nick Shore – Dustin Brown
Adrian Kempe – Nic Dowd – Kyle Clifford
Defencemen
Derek Forbort – Drew Doughty
Jake Muzzin – Paul Ladue
Brayden McNabb – Alec Martinez
Goaltenders
Starter: Jonathan Quick (Projected)
Backup: Ben Bishop
Scratched: Andy Andreoff, Kevin Gravel
Injured: Jordan Nolan (undisclosed)
Morning Skate: Mike Babcock
Mike, do you like the options you now have with 20 games left in the season following what happened the last couple of days?
Mike Babcock: Yeah, I mean, what I really like about Eric Fehr is he’s a real good pro. I’ve known him for a long, long time. He’s won a Stanley Cup. He’s a good man. Can penalty kill, can do whatever you need done. He’s here to be a good influence in the room and be a good pro. Ideally, some of his habits wear off on our guys and between him and Boyle I think we’ve really improved that part of our room, which is real important for us.
Having been there — getting 23 games into the spring — obviously a valuable asset?
Babcock: Well, not just that. He played in Washington for a long time, and played on real good teams. You get used to winning and you know how to win, and you prepare like a winner. You live like a winner, you act like a winner, you do things like a winner, and next thing you know you’re winning. And then what happens is that wears off on other people, so… we want our young guys being around as many guys like that as we possibly can.
How did it feel for you being a buyer at the deadline as a coach after last year where it was more kind of like selling off pieces and trying to figure out the future direction of this team?
Babcock: Well, I’ve been a buyer ever since I’ve been in the NHL. Last year was the only year that was different. Now, this year, it’s a different kind of buying, too. Let’s be honest. You’re being real careful. You’re not getting ahead of yourself, and yet you’re trying to acquire things you think you need to help your group grow so that you can be a contender here year in and year out. That’s what we’re trying to do, and ideally we help their group. Now, obviously, we’ve got a big game here today. You can do anything you want, but the game is played on the ice. So, we’ve got to get out and play a real good LA team that was real hard on us last time we played them. This should be fun for our group here tonight.
How much do you lean on veterans like JVR, Bozak down the stretch here in the last 20 games to step up along the way?
Babcock: Well, that’s up to them, right? Whoever is playing the best gets to play the most. That’s the great thing about this time of year. You have an opportunity – everybody has an opportunity – to lead and we need those guys to be at the best. We need everyone to be at the best because the games are way tighter as you’ve seen. When your team’s no good, the league doesn’t pick up, because the games you play, they don’t get ready for you. But when you’re in it, now they’re ready for you. They need the points and we need the points.
Any idea of when Eric might get in?
Babcock: Not today for sure, and then I don’t know. I’m not as concerned and I’ve made it very clear to him that way.
Drew Doughty – when you think to when you coached him in Vancouver, just a young guy making the defence core there to now where his game has come. Did you know back then that he could become the defenceman he’s become?
Babcock: Well, he’s a star. He was a star then. He can stickhandle in a phone booth for a d-man. Much different from the other offensive defencemen – he can play without the puck as good or better than anybody. He’s got no fear. He can shoot it. He can play physical. He can play all night long. He’s as good as they get.
What type of steps has Kadri made since you’ve been here to become the player he’s turned into for you guys?
Babcock: I think he’s made lots of steps but he’s got lots more steps to go. We need him to dig in. We’ve talked about Bozak and van Riemsdyk but Naz has got to really dig in, and after this year he’s got to have another big summer. Those are all part of how long you want to play in the league and how good you want to be, because the guys that really train and really dig in and look after themselves – they get to play in the league longer than the guys who don’t do anything and just play on skill.
What is your confidence level with this roster as it stands as its finalized in the final 20 games?
Babcock: I mean, it’s good, but it’s always good. I’ll tell you in my heart and in my mind, when I walk into the rink every day, I expect to win. It’s never been any different. It was the same last year.
Would you like your guys to have that game against LA from way earlier in the season on their minds tonight as motivation, or is it so long ago that…
Babcock: I can hardly remember it except it that it was a shellacking, but to me we played a game the other night that the other team was better than us in, played harder than us, competed. Their veteran players were better than our veteran players, and really set the tone. We can’t have that again. We’ve got to respond here today. It should be a lot of fun.
Are you happy to see a guy like Jarome get a shot here in LA?
Babcock: Obviously, he’s a good man. I’ve had him before and known him a long time. I was telling the guys today – his last game in junior was against the Spokane Chiefs and we beat him out. The next night, I remember watching the game, and he ran over [Chris Chelios] in Chicago with Calgary. It’s been a lot of years obviously. I coached im in the Olympics and have been around him a lot. I’m a big fan. He’s a nice gentleman and obviously has a real history with Darryl here, so he’ll be a good addition.
