Early look The full preview opens on Saturday 26 December, three days before puck drop, with the expected goalies, the latest team news and game-day prices. Until then this page shows the matchup as it stands.
Early look · NHL 2026-27

Toronto Maple Leafs at Anaheim Ducks: game preview

Puck drop29 Dec · 10:00 PM ET
VenueHonda Center
All-time meetings57 completed
BasisLast 5 meetings + 2025-26
The thesis

Fourteen points apart last season

Toronto finished last season 28th in the league on 78 points. Anaheim finished 18th on 92.

Game-day prices arrive with the afternoon snapshot, about 4:30 PM ET on the day of the game.

Head-to-head

Meeting number 58

Across 57 completed games, Toronto lead the head-to-head 38-13-6.

All-time record38-13-6Toronto's record in the series
Meetings played57This is number 58
2025-26 series—
Last 55-0Toronto
DateResultShotsPower playWinner
30 Mar 2026TOR 5 – ANA 4 OT——TOR
12 Mar 2026ANA 4 – TOR 6——TOR
30 Mar 2025TOR 3 – ANA 2——TOR
12 Dec 2024ANA 2 – TOR 3——TOR
17 Feb 2024ANA 2 – TOR 9——TOR
Head-to-head finder

The table on each 2025-26 meeting night

DateTorontoAnaheim
12 Mar 202628-27-11 · 67 pts25th36-26-3 · 75 pts13th
30 Mar 202632-30-13 · 77 pts22nd41-28-5 · 87 pts12th

League rank after that night's games; a longer bar is a higher place. On 12 Mar 2026, Toronto were 25th in the league and Anaheim 13th. By 30 Mar 2026 it was 22nd and 12th.


Where the shots come from · last 5 meetings

Anaheim out-attempted Toronto 152 to 110

Every attempt from the last meetings, both teams shooting right.

Toronto Maple Leafs

110 att · 57 on goal · 11 G · 19.3%
Crease9 att · 1 G
Slot46 att · 5 G
Wing35 att · 4 G
Point13 att · 0 G
Neutral zone7 att · 1 G

Anaheim Ducks

152 att · 72 on goal · 8 G · 11.1%
Crease11 att · 0 G
Slot55 att · 6 G
Wing61 att · 2 G
Point20 att · 0 G
Neutral zone5 att · 0 G
GoalOn goalMissedBlocked

Expected goals

Anaheim have created the better chances, last 10 games

Shot quality both ways: expected goals weigh every unblocked attempt by its chance of scoring. Finishing above zero means more goals than the chances.

TorontoAnaheim
3.40xG for per game2.19
3.21xG against per game3.49
51.4%xG share38.6%
−2.6FinishingGoals minus expected goals+2.6
+1.9GoaltendingExpected goals against minus goals allowed+2.0

This season: 4 games for Toronto, 2 for Anaheim. Small sample: early-season xG moves a lot from night to night.

Every team’s xG →


Special teams

Power play and penalty kill, season and series

This season's rates first, then 2025-26 and the last meetings between the two. Power-play chances are counted from the penalty log with coincidental minors cancelled; faceoffs are each club's wins over draws taken.

All bars share one scale · 0–100%SeasonLast meetings

Toronto

Small sample
Power play · 2026-2721.4%
Power play · 2025-2621.3% · 15th
Power play · last 5 meetings—
Penalty kill · 2026-2790.9%
Penalty kill · 2025-2681.2% · 8th
Faceoffs · 2026-2751.1% · 113/221
Drawn · 2026-2714 (3.50/gm)
Drawn · last meetings0 (0.00/gm)
Shorthanded · 2026-2711 (2.75/gm)
PP goals · last meetings0

Anaheim

Small sample
Power play · 2026-2750.0%
Power play · 2025-2618.6% · 23rd
Power play · last 5 meetings—
Penalty kill · 2026-2785.7%
Penalty kill · 2025-2676.4% · 27th
Faceoffs · 2026-2743.9% · 50/114
Drawn · 2026-276 (3.00/gm)
Drawn · last meetings0 (0.00/gm)
Shorthanded · 2026-277 (3.50/gm)
PP goals · last meetings0

Skaters

Skaters to watch

Each club's top three forwards and defencemen by points this season, with 2025-26 one tap away.

PlayerGPGAPP/GP
34Auston Matthews42351.25
91John Tavares41230.75
91Leo Carlsson21452.50
61Cutter Gauthier22242.00
64Mikael Granlund21121.00
Points leaders
PlayerGPGAPP/GP
44Morgan Rielly40330.75
43Darren Raddysh40110.25
67Tristan Luneau20110.50
47Noah Warren20110.50
Defencemen stats

Goaltending

Who has stopped this matchup

Save percentage in the last meetings by goalie. Starters are confirmed on game day.

Expected startersAn estimate until the teams confirmEvery game tonight →

Expected starter after their game on 26 Dec: a back-to-back depends on who plays that night.

Expected starter after their game on 27 Dec: a back-to-back depends on who plays that night.

Toronto crease

TOR · 2026-27 Starter estimate from 26 Dec

Sergei Bobrovsky.8872 GP · 0-2-0 · GSAx +0.1
Anthony Stolarz.9042 GP · 2-0-0 · GSAx +0.6

No appearances against Anaheim in the last meetings.

Anaheim crease

ANA · 2026-27 Starter estimate from 26 Dec

Lukas Dostal.9182 GP · 2-0-0 · GSAx +2.0

No appearances against Toronto in the last meetings.


Totals

Scoring rates point to about 6.6 goals

No total is posted yet: it arrives with the game-day prices. Until then, the scoring rates and the recent meetings set the range.

Goals in the last 5 meetings

30 Mar 20269 · TOR 5–4 ANA
12 Mar 202610 · ANA 4–6 TOR
30 Mar 20255 · TOR 3–2 ANA
12 Dec 20245 · ANA 2–3 TOR
17 Feb 202411 · ANA 2–9 TOR

Bar length is total goals, coloured by the winner.

Scoring rates

Team26-27 GF26-27 GA25-26 GF25-26 GA
Toronto2.752.753.093.65
Anaheim3.502.503.333.51

Goals for and against per game. The estimate averages each team’s scoring with the other’s goals allowed, and leans on 2025-26 until a team has played 20 games.

Scoring rates suggest6.6Goals in this game
Last 5 meetings8.0Goals per game
Line—No total posted yet
Books at the line—With the game-day prices

Team news

8 on the injury lists

Toronto · injuries

Cade WebberElbowIRReturn31 Oct
Dakota JoshuaAbdomenIRReturn24 Oct
Elvis MerzlikinsShoulderIRReturn30 Mar
Max DomiBackIRReturn21 Nov
William VilleneuveKneeIRReturn31 Oct

Anaheim · injuries

Drew HellesonLower BodyIRReturn7 Oct
Ian MooreLower BodyIRReturn16 Oct
Troy TerryHipIRReturn21 Nov
5 Oct · TOR

Placed RW Nikita Grebenkin on injured reserve.

30 Sep · TOR

Moved C Max Domi from the non-roster list to long-term injured reserve.

29 Sep · TOR

Placed D Cade Webber on the injured non-roster list.

1 Oct · ANA

Signed D Tristan Luneau to a six-year contract extension.

30 Sep · ANA

Reassigned C Roger McQueen and C Cruz Lucius to San Diego (AHL). Recalled D Noah Warren, D Ian Mitchell and D Tristan Luneau from San Diego. Placed D Drew Helleson on injured reserve. Moved RW Troy Terry from the non-roster list to long-term injured reserve.

27 Sep · ANA

Placed G Laurent Brossoit and D Travis Mitchell on waivers.

Injury report
#1Gavin McKennaRound 1 · Penn StateLW
#60Alexander BileckiRound 2 · KitchenerD
#69Ethan MacKenzieRound 3 · EdmontonD
#73Zach OlsenRound 3 · SaskatoonRW
Full draft
#15Nikita KlepovRound 1 · SaginawRW
#28Marcus NordmarkRound 1 · Djurgarden Jr.LW
#45Jayden KurtzRound 2 · RogersD
#50Mathis PrestonRound 2 · VancouverRW
Full draft

Updated after every final