Lightning vs Kings Prediction 12/18/25 NHL Picks Today

The Los Angeles Kings and Tampa Bay Lightning meet Thursday in NHL action at the Benchmark International Arena. Here’s a Lightning vs Kings Prediction. This article will include a Lightning vs Kings Pick.

Los Angeles Kings Betting Preview

The Los Angeles Kings lost to the Stars and Panthers, and they play the Blue Jackets next. The Kings have lost 4 straight games.

The Los Angeles Kings are averaging 2.58 goals per game and are scoring 14.7 percent of their power play opportunities. Kevin Fiala leads Los Angeles with 12 goals, Adrian Kempe has 17 assists, and Alex Laferriere has 71 shots on goal. Defensively, the Los Angeles Kings are allowing 2.55 goals per game and are killing 79.8 percent of their opponent’s power plays. Darcy Kuemper has given up 49 goals on 588 shots faced, while Anton Forsberg has allowed 31 goals on 289 shots.

Tampa Bay Lightning Betting Preview

The Tampa Bay Lightning lost to the Islanders and Panthers, and they play the Hurricanes next. The Lightning have lost 6 of their last 8 games.

The Tampa Bay Lightning are averaging 3.21 goals per game and are scoring on 17.3 percent of their power play opportunities. Brandon Hagel leads Tampa Bay with 18 goals, Nikita Kucherov has 29 assists, and Jake Guentzel has 88 shots on goal. Defensively, the Tampa Bay Lightning are allowing 2.64 goals per game and are killing 85 percent of their opponent’s power plays. Andrei Vasilevskiy has allowed 43 goals on 509 shots faced, while Jonas Johansson has given up 39 goals on 378 shots.

Why the Tampa Bay Lightning will win

• The Lightning have won each of their last nine home games against the Kings.
• The Kings have lost 10 of their last 11 games at Benchmark International Arena.
• The Lightning have covered the puck line in each of their last five games against the Kings.
• The Kings have failed to cover the puck line in five of their last six games against opponents on a losing streak.
• The Lightning have won the third period in eight of their last nine home games against Pacific Division opponents when trailing after the second period.

Why the Los Angeles Kings will win

• The Lightning have lost each of their last three games as home favorites.
• The Kings have won each of their last three games as underdogs on the second leg of a back-to-back.
• The Kings have covered the puck line in eight of their last nine games as underdogs.
• The Lightning have failed to cover the puck line in 10 of their last 11 home games following a loss.
• The Lightning have lost the third period in five of their last six home games following a home loss.

Total Goals Facts

• Each of the Kings’ last four games have gone UNDER the total goals line.
• Each of the Lightning’s last four games against the Kings following a loss have gone UNDER the total goals line.
• The ‘Over 1.5 Goals Period 2′ market has hit in each of the Kings’ last eight road games against opponents on a losing streak.
• The ‘Over 1.5 Goals Period 1’ market has hit in each of the Lightning’s last four games.

Tampa Bay Lightning Player Prop Facts

• Nikita Kucherov has scored at least one goal in four of the Lightning’s last five games against Pacific Division opponents.
• Nikita Kucherov has recorded at least one assist in seven of his last eight appearances with the Lightning as favorites against the Kings.
• Jake Guentzel has recorded at least one point in each of the Lightning’s last seven home games against Pacific Division opponents.
• Nikita Kucherov is one of only two players in the league to have recorded 2+ points in five or more consecutive appearances this season.

Los Angeles Kings Player Prop Facts

• Kevin Fiala has recorded an assist in four of his last five road appearances against the Lightning.
• Kevin Fiala has recorded at least one point in each of his last five road appearances after playing less than 20 minutes the previous day.
• Phillip Danault has scored a goal in three of the Kings’ last four games as underdogs against the Lightning.
• Adrian Kempe is one of only four players in the league to have recorded 4+ shots in six or more consecutive appearances this season.

Matchup/League Facts

• The Tampa Bay Lightning rank 2nd in the league in penalty kill percentage this season (85.05%).
• The Tampa Bay Lightning are one of five teams to rank in the top 10 for both goals scored and goals conceded per game this season.
• The Los Angeles Kings rank 31st in the league in power play percentage this season (14.71%).
• The Los Angeles Kings rank T3rd in the league for goals against per game this season (2.55).

Lightning vs Kings Prediction

The Lightning are going to get the benefit of the doubt more times than not, especially at home. The Lightning have also won 7 of the last 10 games against the Kings. However, even with 3 straight road losses, the Kings have played some of their best hockey away from home, where they have 10 wins on the season.

The Lightning have also cooled off drastically over the last 2 weeks and have had issues finding easy offense. The Lightning have scored 2 or fewer goals in 5 of their last 8 games. A couple of those games were shutout losses. I get the Kings are on the end of a back-to-back. I’ll still take a shot with the plus money.