Early look The full preview opens on Sunday 27 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 Los Angeles Kings: game preview

Puck drop30 Dec · 10:00 PM ET
VenueCrypto.com Arena
All-time meetings176 completed
BasisLast 5 meetings + 2025-26
The thesis

Twelve points apart last season

Toronto finished last season 28th in the league on 78 points. Los Angeles finished 20th on 90.

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

Head-to-head

Meeting number 177

Across 176 completed games, Los Angeles lead the head-to-head 89-77-10.

All-time record89-77-10Los Angeles's record in the series
Meetings played176This is number 177
2025-26 series—
Last 53-2Toronto
DateResultShotsPower playWinner
4 Apr 2026TOR 6 – LAK 7 OT——LAK
13 Nov 2025LAK 4 – TOR 3 OT——LAK
29 Mar 2025TOR 3 – LAK 1——TOR
16 Oct 2024LAK 2 – TOR 6——TOR
2 Jan 2024TOR 3 – LAK 0——TOR
Head-to-head finder

The table on each 2025-26 meeting night

DateTorontoLos Angeles
13 Nov 20258-8-2 · 18 pts25th9-5-4 · 22 pts8th
4 Apr 202632-31-14 · 78 pts25th31-26-19 · 81 pts22nd

League rank after that night's games; a longer bar is a higher place. On 13 Nov 2025, Toronto were 25th in the league and Los Angeles 8th. By 4 Apr 2026 it was 25th and 22nd.


Where the shots come from · last 5 meetings

Los Angeles out-attempted Toronto 172 to 78

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

Toronto Maple Leafs

78 att · 35 on goal · 9 G · 25.7%
Crease8 att · 4 G
Slot30 att · 4 G
Wing24 att · 1 G
Point12 att · 0 G
Neutral zone4 att · 0 G

Los Angeles Kings

172 att · 77 on goal · 11 G · 14.3%
Crease10 att · 1 G
Slot72 att · 5 G
Wing64 att · 5 G
Point23 att · 0 G
Neutral zone3 att · 0 G
GoalOn goalMissedBlocked

Expected goals

Los Angeles 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.

TorontoLos Angeles
3.40xG for per game2.88
3.21xG against per game2.43
51.4%xG share54.2%
−2.6FinishingGoals minus expected goals+0.4
+1.9GoaltendingExpected goals against minus goals allowed−7.7

This season: 4 games for Toronto, 3 for Los Angeles. 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

Los Angeles

Small sample
Power play · 2026-2716.7%
Power play · 2025-2617.0% · 28th
Power play · last 5 meetings—
Penalty kill · 2026-2761.5%
Penalty kill · 2025-2674.6% · 30th
Faceoffs · 2026-2756.9% · 103/181
Drawn · 2026-2712 (4.00/gm)
Drawn · last meetings0 (0.00/gm)
Shorthanded · 2026-2713 (4.33/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
10Artemi Panarin32131.00
56Erik Haula31231.00
14Alex Laferriere31231.00
Points leaders
PlayerGPGAPP/GP
44Morgan Rielly40330.75
43Darren Raddysh40110.25
92Brandt Clarke30220.67
8Drew Doughty30110.33
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 29 Dec: a back-to-back depends on who plays that night.

Expected starter after their game on 28 Dec: a back-to-back depends on who plays that night.

Toronto crease

TOR · 2026-27 Starter estimate from 27 Dec

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

No appearances against Los Angeles in the last meetings.

Los Angeles crease

LAK · 2026-27 Starter estimate from 27 Dec

Darcy Kuemper.8252 GP · 0-2-0 · GSAx −4.2
Anton Forsberg.8001 GP · 0-0-1 · GSAx −3.5

No appearances against Toronto in the last meetings.


Totals

Scoring rates point to about 6.3 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

4 Apr 202613 · TOR 6–7 LAK
13 Nov 20257 · LAK 4–3 TOR
29 Mar 20254 · TOR 3–1 LAK
16 Oct 20248 · LAK 2–6 TOR
2 Jan 20243 · TOR 3–0 LAK

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
Los Angeles3.005.002.743.01

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 suggest6.3Goals in this game
Last 5 meetings7.0Goals 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

Los Angeles · injuries

Jakub DvorakUpper BodyIRReturn31 Oct
Jan JenikUndisclosedIRReturn24 Oct
Kevin FialaLower LegIRReturn17 Oct
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.

27 Sep · LAK

Placed D Otto Salin on the injured non-roster list. Loaned G Erik Portillo to Ontario (AHL).

24 Sep · LAK

Waived for the purpose of assignment to Abbotsford (AHL) Fs Martin Chromia, Cole Guttman, Lane Pederson and Francesco Pinelli and D Joe Hicketts. Loaned Fs Aatu Jamsen and Koehn Ziemmer, Ds Angus Booth, Kirill Kirsanov and Jared Woolley to Ontario. Placed F Jan Jenik and D Jakub Dvorak on injured reserve.

15 Jul 2026 · LAK

Signed F Elton Hermansson to a three-year, entry-level contract.

Injury report
#1Gavin McKennaRound 1 · Penn StateLW
#60Alexander BileckiRound 2 · KitchenerD
#69Ethan MacKenzieRound 3 · EdmontonD
#73Zach OlsenRound 3 · SaskatoonRW
Full draft
#19Elton HermanssonRound 1 · ModoRW
#46Liam LefebvreRound 2 · ChicoutimiC
#49Adam GoljerRound 2 · TrencinD
#80Blake ZielinskiRound 3 · Des MoinesC
Full draft

Updated after every final