Although the Toronto Maple Leafs were relatively undisciplined on Thursday against the Nashville Predators (called for six penalties), they only take an average of 3-4 penalties per game. The Leafs have a league-ranked 9th best penalty kill this season (82.46%). It brings them down from their average of 5 penalties taken per game last season.
The Leafs penalty kill was actually slightly more effective last season at 82.47%, ranked 10th at the end of the regular season. The NHL’s average penalty kill percentage dropped this season from last (80.90% to 80.00%). The Leafs PK% follows the overall NHL trend, likely because the majority of teams are taking more penalties this season than last, affording opponents more of an opportunity to score on the powerplay.