Early look · NHL 2026-27

St. Louis Blues at Toronto Maple Leafs: game preview

St. LouisBlues2026-27: 1-2-0 · 2 pts · 2025-26: 37-33-12 · 86 pts · 22ndat

TorontoMaple Leafs2026-27: 2-2-0 · 4 pts · 2025-26: 32-36-14 · 78 pts · 28th

Puck drop18 Jan · 7:30 PM ET

VenueScotiabank Arena

All-time meetings263 completed

BasisLast 5 meetings + 2025-26

The thesis

Eight points apart last season

St. Louis finished last season 22nd in the league on 86 points. Toronto finished 28th on 78.

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

Head-to-head

Meeting number 264

Across 263 completed games, St. Louis lead the head-to-head 135-105-23.

All-time record135-105-23St. Louis's record in the series

Meetings played263This is number 264

2025-26 series—

Last 53-2St. Louis

Last 5 meetings

See all: Last 5 meetings →

DateResultShotsPower playWinner

28 Mar 2026TOR 1 – STL 5——STL

18 Nov 2025STL 2 – TOR 3 OT——TOR

2 Nov 2024TOR 2 – STL 4——STL

24 Oct 2024STL 5 – TOR 1——STL

19 Feb 2024TOR 4 – STL 2——TOR

Head-to-head finder

The table on each 2025-26 meeting night

DateSt. LouisToronto

18 Nov 20256-9-5 · 17 pts30th9-9-2 · 20 pts27th

28 Mar 202631-30-11 · 73 pts28th31-30-13 · 75 pts24th

League rank after that night's games; a longer bar is a higher place. On 18 Nov 2025, St. Louis were 30th in the league and Toronto 27th. By 28 Mar 2026 it was 28th and 24th.

Where the shots come from · last 5 meetings

St. Louis out-attempted Toronto 124 to 89

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

St. Louis Blues

124 att · 68 on goal · 7 G · 10.3%

Crease11 att · 0 G

Slot43 att · 6 G

Wing50 att · 1 G

Point18 att · 0 G

Neutral zone2 att · 0 G

Toronto Maple Leafs

89 att · 42 on goal · 4 G · 9.5%

Crease4 att · 1 G

Slot28 att · 1 G

Wing34 att · 1 G

Point16 att · 1 G

Neutral zone7 att · 0 G

GoalOn goalMissedBlocked

Expected goals

St. Louis 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.

St. LouisToronto

2.69xG for per game3.40

3.33xG against per game3.21

44.7%xG share51.4%

−1.1FinishingGoals minus expected goals−2.6

−0.0GoaltendingExpected goals against minus goals allowed+1.9

This season: 3 games for St. Louis, 4 for Toronto. 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

St. Louis

Small sample

Power play · 2026-2712.5%

Power play · 2025-2617.6% · 26th

Power play · last 5 meetings—

Penalty kill · 2026-2790.0%

Penalty kill · 2025-2676.7% · 25th

Faceoffs · 2026-2744.6% · 83/186

Drawn · 2026-278 (2.67/gm)

Drawn · last meetings0 (0.00/gm)

Shorthanded · 2026-2710 (3.33/gm)

PP goals · last meetings0

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

Skaters

Skaters to watch

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

Forwards to watch

See all: Forwards to watch →

PlayerGPGAPP/GP

77Connor McMichael31231.00

83Mason McTavish32020.67

15Dalibor Dvorsky32020.67

88William Nylander43361.50

34Auston Matthews42351.25

91John Tavares41230.75

Points leaders

Defencemen to watch

See all: Defencemen to watch →

PlayerGPGAPP/GP

6Philip Broberg30220.67

55Colton Parayko30110.33

4Theo Lindstein30110.33

44Morgan Rielly40330.75

43Darren Raddysh40110.25

95Oliver Ekman-Larsson40000.00

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 →

St. Louis

Expected starter after their game on 16 Jan: a back-to-back depends on who plays that night.

Toronto

Expected starter after their game on 16 Jan: a back-to-back depends on who plays that night.

St. Louis crease

STL · 2026-27 Starter estimate from 15 Jan

Joel Hofer.9552 GP · 1-1-0 · GSAx +2.8

Jordan Binnington.8331 GP · 0-1-0 · GSAx −2.5

No appearances against Toronto in the last meetings.

Toronto crease

TOR · 2026-27 Starter estimate from 15 Jan

Sergei Bobrovsky.8872 GP · 0-2-0 · GSAx +0.1

Anthony Stolarz.9042 GP · 2-0-0 · GSAx +0.6

No appearances against St. Louis in the last meetings.

Totals

Scoring rates point to about 6.2 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

28 Mar 20266 · TOR 1–5 STL

18 Nov 20255 · STL 2–3 TOR

2 Nov 20246 · TOR 2–4 STL

24 Oct 20246 · STL 5–1 TOR

19 Feb 20246 · TOR 4–2 STL

Bar length is total goals, coloured by the winner.

Scoring rates

Team26-27 GF26-27 GA25-26 GF25-26 GA

St. Louis2.333.332.823.15

Toronto2.752.753.093.65

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 suggest6.2Goals in this game

Last 5 meetings5.8Goals per game

Line—No total posted yet

Books at the line—With the game-day prices

Team news

9 on the injury lists

St. Louis · injuries

Alexey ToropchenkoUpper BodyIRReturn14 Nov

Felix TrudeauUndisclosedIRReturn10 Oct

Logan MaillouxHandIRReturn25 Nov

Tyler TuckerKneeIRReturn12 Nov

Toronto · injuries

Cade WebberElbowIRReturn31 Oct

Dakota JoshuaAbdomenIRReturn24 Oct

Elvis MerzlikinsShoulderIRReturn30 Mar

Max DomiBackIRReturn21 Nov

William VilleneuveKneeIRReturn31 Oct

Latest moves

See all: Latest moves →

5 Oct · STL

Placed LW Alexey Toropchenko on injured reserve.

27 Sep · STL

Placed G Georgii Romanov and D Calle Rosen on waivers. Claimed RD Justin Barron off waivers.

19 Sep · STL

Placed D Marc Andre Gaudet was placed on waivers.

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.

Injury report

St. Louis · 2026 draft

See all: St. Louis · 2026 draft →

#11Tynan LawrenceRound 1 · Boston UniversityC

#16Maddox DagenaisRound 1 · QuebecC

#75Luke SchairerRound 3 · Usa U-18D

#107Landon NyczRound 4 · UmassD

Full draft

Toronto · 2026 draft

See all: Toronto · 2026 draft →

#1Gavin McKennaRound 1 · Penn StateLW

#60Alexander BileckiRound 2 · KitchenerD

#69Ethan MacKenzieRound 3 · EdmontonD

#73Zach OlsenRound 3 · SaskatoonRW

Full draft

Monday 18 January · the full slate

See all: Monday 18 January · the full slate →

TORThis game 7:30 PM ET

Updated after every final