Maple Leafs vs. Kings NHL Odds, Preview, Prediction: Which Winning Streak Will End (November 8)

Maple Leafs vs. Kings Odds

Two hot teams from opposite sides of the nation will meet up in the center of the hockey universe on Monday night, as the Toronto Maple Leafs host the Los Angeles Kings.

On Saturday, the Leafs extended their current winning streak to five games with a convincing 5-2 win over the Boston Bruins. Friday night, the Kings wrapped up their own five-game homestand with a fourth-straight win.

While the Leafs are gaining the lions' share of the attention for their recent success, this is a team that's known to stub its toe before things can start going toooo well.

Here's why you should consider backing the underdog on Monday night at Scotiabank Arena.

Kings Have Recovered From Rough Start

The Kings kick off a Canadian road trip on Monday, which will see them play four games in six nights. Their matchup in Toronto is the first of a back-to-back set, which will also see them take on the Canadiens in Montreal on Tuesday.

After a bumpy start to the season, Los Angeles has won its last four games — in regulation over Montreal and Buffalo, then a shootout win over St. Louis and an overtime victory over New Jersey. Cal Petersen and Jonathan Quick split the duties in net, with the Kings allowing just two goals in all four contests. So it shouldn't make much difference which netminder coach Todd McLellan taps against Toronto.

The Kings' recent success has come despite injuries to two key defensemen, Drew Doughty and Sean Walker. Forward Viktor Arvidsson is also currently on the sidelines, in Covid-19 protocol, but speedy winger Andreas Athanasiou made his season debut against New Jersey on Friday and picked up a power-play assist.

Offensively, the player to watch for Los Angeles is Alex Iafallo. The 27-year-old, who was signed by the Kings as a college free agent in 2017, has four goals and seven points in his last five games, including two game winners.

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Campbell Will Shoulder Load for Maple Leafs

The Maple Leafs' season thus far looks a lot like the Kings' — some early-season sorrow which has morphed into an impressive winning streak. Toronto's win over Boston is arguably the most impressive of this bunch. It has also taken down Tampa Bay, Vegas, Detroit and Chicago, with the wins over the Lightning and Blackhawks both coming in overtime.

Offensively, the streak has been fueled by Toronto's Big Four. Mitch Marner has 11 points in five games, including two game-winning goals, John Tavares has nine points, Auston Matthews has seven points and a game-winner and William Nylander has five points, including two game-winners.

But perhaps the bigger story is at the other end of the ice, where Jack Campbell has logged four of the five wins with just five goals allowed. He has a 1.23 goals-against average, a .960 save percentage and a league-best 5.58 goals saved above average over that timeframe, according to Natural Stat Trick.

With backup Petr Mrazek expected to be sidelined for four weeks with a groin injury, the Leafs have called up 23-year-old goaltending prospect Joseph Woll, who has not yet appeared in an NHL game. Look for Campbell to shoulder as much of the load as possible for the next while.

Kings vs. Leafs Pick

One of these teams is going to see its winning streak end on Monday, and the oddsmakers are pretty sure it's Los Angeles. At +215 on the moneyline, the Kings are being given just a 31.75% chance of success, while the Leafs' -270 equates to nearly a 73% win probability.

The Leafs' odds are fueled by home-ice advantage, a red-hot goaltender and a potent offense that's being led by the team's top stars. And while the Kings are 0-3-1 on the road so far this season, these teams are closer statistically than you might think.

• Expected goals at 5-on-5: Toronto 55.22% (3rd); Los Angeles 50.64% (15th)
• Goals for: Toronto 2.67 (23rd); Los Angeles 2.64 (24th)
• Goals against: Toronto 2.67 (10th); Los Angeles 2.82 (T-14th)
• Power play: Toronto 22.9% (12th); Los Angeles 20.5% (17th)
• Penalty kill: Toronto 83.8% (13th); Los Angeles 71.0% (27th)

Given the high level of randomness in hockey, it's more than plausible that this could be one of those "on any given night" games that will drive Leafs  fans to the edge of madness yet again.

The Kings are a clear longshot, but bettors could pick up a nice payday if they bet the upset and the road team surprises.

Pick: Los Angeles (+215) | Play to +185