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The Los Angeles Kings will continue their road trip with a trip to Florida as they face the Tampa Bay Lightning. It will be a showdown at Amalie Arena as we continue our NHL odds series and make a Kings-Lightning prediction and pick.
The Lightning are 14-8 in their last 22 games against the Kings, including 7-3 in the past 10 games against them at Amalie Arena. Ultimately, the Kings defeated the Lightning 2-1 on January 4, 2025, at Crypto and will attempt to pull off a rare season sweep.
Here are the Kings-Lightning NHL odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
NHL Odds: Kings-Lightning Odds
Los Angeles Kings: +1.5 (-215)
Moneyline: +125
Tampa Bay Lightning: -1.5 (+172)
Moneyline: -150
Over: 5.5 (-130)
Under: 5.5 (+106)
How To Watch Kings vs Lightning
Time: 7 PM ET/4 PM PT
TV: ESPN+, FDSS and FDSW
*Watch NHL games LIVE with fuboTV (Get Access | Save $30)*
Why the Kings Could Cover the Spread/Win
The Kings might get Drew Doughty back soon, which could prove to be a big boost for a team that is clinging to third in the Pacific Division and might fall below the Calgary Flames if they cannot sustain any victories. Therefore, the Kings might have to swing a deal at the trade deadline to make it to the playoffs and possibly pass the Edmonton Oilers, which has not happened recently.
It did not look good at first when the Kings last met the Bolts, as they were behind a minute into the game. Yet, the Kings regained their composure and tightened up the defense. The Kings tied the game thanks to a goal from Mikey Anderson. Then, Adrian Kempe put the go-ahead goal for the Kings to seal the win.
The Kings fired just 21 shots on net. Yet, they maintained possession after winning 51 percent of the faceoffs. The Kings whiffed on their only powerplay chance. The Kings won this game despite getting nothing from Anze Kopitar or Kevin Fiala.
Defense and goaltending were the major reasons why the Kings won this game. Amazingly, Darcy Keumper bounced back from an early-game blunder and finished with 33 saves while allowing that lone first-period goal. The Kings also killed off both penalties they took. Then, they leveled 25 hits and blocked 16 shots.
The Kings will cover the spread if their offense generates more opportunities and fires more shots at the net. Then, their defense must continue to play stout and not let the Lightning get any extra chances at the net.
Why the Lightning Could Cover the Spread/Win
The Lightning are not having a good season, and it is putting them in danger of missing the playoffs for the first time since 2017. Yet, they are still a dangerous team that can score goals. They just need to do it moire consistently against the best defensive team in the NHL.
The Lightning scored early in their game with the Kings. Yet, the offense completely stalled afterward. The Bolts fired 34 shots on the net. Additionally, they won 49 percent of the faceoffs. But the Lightning also failed to convert on their two powerplay chances. Nikita Kucherov and Brandon Hagel were both held off the scoresheet, and neither could generate any coherent offense. Kucherv had three shots but none of them went into the net, so expect him to try and create better chances.
Andrei Vasilevskiy was solid in this game, making 19 saves but allowing two goals. While he played well enough, the goal he allowed in the third was eventually the game-winner, and the goaltender would hope to make that critical save in crunch time. The Bolts killed off the only penalty they faced against the Kings. Likewise, they threw 25 hits and blocked 16 shots.
The Lightning will cover the spread if their offense can continue firing pucks at the net while setting up better chances of getting around this tough defense. Then, their defense must avoid collapsing and find ways to make it difficult to cross the puck into the blue line.
Final Kings-Lightning Prediction & Pick
The Kings are 24-23 against the spread, while the Lightning are 24-25 against the spread. Moreover, the Kings are 15-13 against the spread on the road, while the Bolts are 12-11 against the spread at home. The Kings are 17-27-3 against the over/under, while the Lightning are 21-24-4 against the over/under.
The Kings are 4-1 against the spread in their past five games at Amalie Arena. Overall, they have done a good job of coming into this arena and keeping it close, even if they have not gotten the win. Because of this, I will roll with the trend to continue, picking the Kings to cover the spread on the road.
Final Kings-Lightning Prediction & Pick: Kings: +1.5 (-215)