After the Kings had their best offensive game of the season, they continue their road trip as they face the Toronto Maple Leafs. The Kings are coming off a 5-1 win over the Montreal Canadiens, arguably their best game of the season, whereas the Toronto Maple Leafs are coming off a 5-3 loss to the Boston Bruins and look to avoid losing 4 straight games. PROJECTED KINGS LINES Here are the projected lines for the Kings tonight [https://www.nhl.com/news/nhl-lineup-projections-2025-26-season]: Joel Armia - Anze Kopitar - Adrian Kempe Kevin Fiala - Quinton Byfield - Alex Laferriere Warren Foegele - Phillip Danault - Trevor Moore Jeff Malott - Alex Turcotte - Corey Perry Mikey Anderson - Drew Doughty Joel Edmundson - Brandt Clarke Brian Dumoulin - Cody Ceci Darcy Kuemper Anton Forsberg PROJECTED LEAFS LINES Here are the projected lines for the Leafs tonight: [https://www.nhl.com/news/nhl-lineup-projections-2025-26-season] Matthew Knies - John Tavares - William Nylander Nicholas Robertson - Max Domi - Bobby McMann Dakota Joshua - Nicolas Roy - Matias Maccelli Sammy Blais - Steven Lorentz - Calle Jarnkrok Morgan Rielly - Brandon Carlo Simon Benoit - Jake McCabe Dakota Mermis - Oliver Ekman-Larsson Dennis Hildeby Artur Akhtyamov INJURIES/SCRATCHES The Kings remain healthy, but one significant change to the lineup has been made: Andrei Kuzmenko is scratched for tonight's game in favour of Jeff Malott. Kuzmenko this season has 3 goals 4 assists for 7 points. The Leafs are missing some big names tonight, especially after the game against Boston. Auston Matthews is out with a lower-body injury, and goaltender Anthony Stolarz is also out with an upper-body injury. Scott Laughton and Chris Tanev are also both out with upper-body injuries KEY FACTORS The Kings are coming off their best offensive game, and they look to ride that momentum against this struggling Leafs team. Darcy Kuemper will be in goal tonight, as he has been very good recently. For the Leafs, they will start Dennis Hildeby, who has played 9 career games. The Kings will have to use their depth to their advantage in this game, as Matthews out-moves everyone else in the Leafs lineup, giving the Kings the advantage in depth, especially with how Corey Perry has been playing. At the same time, the Leafs are battling injuries, but the Kings still need to be wary of that top line of Knies, Tavares, and Nylander, as those guys can take over a game very easily. The Kings' defence needs to stay structured and consistent tonight, make simple plays against this Leafs team, and allow the forwards to maintain a constant forecheck to break down the Leafs. The Kings also need to just get shots on net, as with this young goalie, getting shots on net and creating traffic is something the Kings can do to get past the young netminder. Lastly, captain Anze Kopitar will be looking for his first career goal in Scotiabank Stadium, as in the 13 games he has played there, he has 6 assists. If the Kings can play like they did against the Canadiens, I have no doubt they will walk out of Toronto with a win. My prediction for tonight is a 5-2 Kings win.
