The Toronto Maple Leafs look to stay unbeaten in the month of November as they take on the Los Angeles Kings at the Air Canada Center.
Toronto has won three straight with victories over Edmonton, Buffalo and Vancouver, and will go with the same lineup against the Kings, including Frederik Andersen in goal.
Andersen has enjoyed significant success against the Kings in his career, with a 5-0-1 record, 2.24 GAA & .928 save %.
The Leafs have three of the top four scorers among NHL rookies. William Nylander leads the league with 12 points, Auston Matthews is tied with fellow 2016 draft pick Patrik Laine with 11, while Marner is tied for third with Jimmy Vesey and Zach Werenski with 10 points.
Nylander and Matthews have slowed down after being red-hot in October. Both linemates were pointless in victories over Edmonton and Buffalo, but registered an assist in the 6-3 victory on Saturday, while Marner has been gaining steam with consecutive two-point performances against the Sabres and Canucks.
“I didn’t know (the Matthews/Nylander line) were not producing myself… head coach Mike Babcock said after the morning skate. “I just look at quality chances they are producing. Sometimes they go in, sometimes they don’t. (The season) is 82 (games) long, you get up and get ready for the next day and just keep on going.…
Los Angeles is .500 (6-6-0) on the season, which is remarkable since they are averaging just 2.33 goals-per-game and after losing starting goalie Jonathan Quick to a severe lower-body injury.
34-year-old former Colorado and Montreal netminder Peter Budaj has handled the bulk of the duties and has all six of the Kings victories, with a 2.06 GAA and .912 save %.
The @LeafsAlumni would like to wish Johnny Bower a very Happy 92nd Birthday! #TMLA #ChinaWall pic.twitter.com/aXfFVQVyNg
— Maple Leafs Alumni (@LeafsAlumni) November 8, 2016
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In his ’30 Thoughts’ column, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman theorizes about the appearance of Karri Ramo at Leafs practice recently and believes that it could be a warning to backup Jhonas Enroth.
Enroth has only started twice for Toronto (road losses to Minnesota and the NY Islanders) and has a 3.89 GAA and ,877 save percentage, but the presence of Ramo might indicate that the Leafs may be shopping the 28-year-old to one of a number of teams with goaltending needs.
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Listen to the latest edition of the Blue N’ White Tonight podcast, with special guest Steve Dangle.
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