{"id":480187,"date":"2025-12-18T10:39:01","date_gmt":"2025-12-18T15:39:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/?p=480187"},"modified":"2025-12-18T10:39:01","modified_gmt":"2025-12-18T15:39:01","slug":"nhl-predictions-dec-18-los-angeles-kings-tampa-bay-lightning","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/2025\/12\/18\/nhl-predictions-dec-18-los-angeles-kings-tampa-bay-lightning\/","title":{"rendered":"NHL Predictions: Tampa Bay Lightning vs the L.A Kings"},"content":{"rendered":"

Each day, our writers here at Last Word On Hockey<\/i> look at the games and give in-depth analysis. Our team breaks down the key matchups, storylines, and stats, then makes predictions based on how they might play out. For this edition, we will look at the Tampa Bay Lightning<\/a> hosting the Los Angeles Kings<\/a><\/span>. Don\u2019t forget to check out more NHL Predictions, as our writers continue this series throughout the 2025\u201326 season.<\/p>\n

NHL Predictions Overview<\/b><\/h2>\n

Time:<\/b><\/span> 7:00 p.m. Eastern Standard Time (EST)<\/p>\n

How to watch<\/a>: The Spot, FDSNW<\/b><\/span><\/h3>\n

Location:<\/b><\/span> Amalie Arena, Tampa, FL<\/p>\n

2025\u201326 Season Series:<\/b><\/span> Tampa Bay 0, Los Angeles 0<\/p>\n

The Bolts (18-12-3) remain home to face the Los Angeles Kings (14-9-9) in a matchup of two teams mired in mediocrity over their last ten games. Tampa (4-5-1) is coming off a 5\u20132 loss to the state rivals, the Florida Panthers. <\/b>J.J. Moser<\/a> and Max Crozier put the biscuit in the gravy, while Brayden Point<\/a> notched two assists. Jonas Johansson<\/a> started his seventh-straight game in Andrei Vasilevskiy’s <\/a>injury absence and made 19 saves. The Big Cat<\/em> should be back soon, so it\u2019s back to reading a good novel on the bench for Jonas.<\/span>\u00a0The Kings (4-3-3 in their last 10) lost 4-1 to the Dallas Stars on Tuesday night. Andrei Kuzmenko<\/a> scored an unassisted 5-on-3 goal for the Kings, who have lost their last three games. However, this is a good chance to add our disclaimer. Please check social media for the very latest lineup news before locking in your daily fantasy rosters.<\/p>\n

Tampa Bay Lightning Outlook<\/b><\/h2>\n

Tampa Bay\u2019s Jekyll and Hyde<\/em> offence continues to confound. The Lightning rank seventh in the NHL in goals per game (3.21),\u00a0<\/span> but their 21st-ranked power play efficiency (17.3%)<\/span>\u00a0is driven largely by the familiar core. Nikita Kucherov<\/a> leads the team with 42 points (13 goals, 29 assists)<\/span>, while Brandon Hagel<\/a> and Jake Guentzel<\/a> have combined for 31 goals<\/span>\u00a0this season.<\/p>\n

Andrei Vasilevskiy<\/a> needs to return to form when he starts again. Over his last five starts, he was 4-0-1 and keeping this aging mercenary squad alive. \u00a0Tampa\u2019s biggest concern remains defensive consistency at five-on-five, where they sit in the middle of the pack in expected goals against.<\/p>\n

Keys to Victory \u2013 Tampa Bay<\/b><\/h2>\n

NHL Predictions thinks the Bolts need to win special teams battles. Los Angeles owns a strong defensive identity, but their penalty kill sits around 80%<\/span>. Drawing penalties and capitalizing could tilt the game quickly. Pace the Kings out of structure. The Lightning average 27.8 shots per game<\/span>, while the Kings prefer slower, lower-event hockey. Sustained offensive-zone pressure will force LA\u2019s defence to break shape, something they struggle with against high-skill teams. Protect the slot for your goalie. Tampa allows fewer than 10 high-danger chances per game<\/span> when structured properly. Keeping LA to the perimeter plays directly into Vasilevskiy\u2019s strengths.<\/p>\n

Los Angeles Kings Outlook<\/b><\/h2>\n

The Kings remain one of the league\u2019s most disciplined defensive teams. They rank third in goals against per game (2.53)<\/span> and top five in shot suppression<\/span>, allowing fewer than 27.3 shots per contest<\/span>. \u00a0Offensively, LA relies on balance rather than star power. Adrian Kempe<\/a> leads the way with 11 goals<\/span>, while Kevin Fiala<\/a>‘s 11 goals keep this a committee decision on who’s putting the bun in the oven. Goaltender Darcy Kuemper<\/a> has been steady, posting a .917 save percentage<\/span> on the season, but has been letting in some soft goals of late. Hollywood does not like soft openings.<\/p>\n

Keys to Victory \u2013 Los Angeles<\/b><\/h2>\n

NHL Predictions feels the Kings need to control\u00a0tempo and limit rush chances. The Kings are 9\u20131\u20131 when holding opponents under 30 shots<\/span>. Slowing Tampa\u2019s transition game and forcing dump-ins will be critical. Net-front execution. It’s like ocean-front property. Make memories there, and everyone is happy. Vasilevskiy is elite on first saves, but LA scores over 30% of its goals on rebounds and tips<\/span>. Traffic and second chances will be the Kings\u2019 best offensive path. Stay out of the box. This is non-negotiable. The Kings are 7\u20132\u20131 when taking fewer than three penalties<\/span> in a game. Giving Tampa extended power-play looks is a recipe for disaster, not Pina Coladas, or whatever they drink in Tampa under the palm trees.<\/p>\n

NHL Predictions: Who Takes the W?<\/b><\/h2>\n

This matchup feels like a clash of philosophies. Tampa wants speed, skill, and special teams. Los Angeles wants patience, structure, and successful Box Office receipts. At home, with Vasilevskiy \u00a0(if he’s back) and Tampa\u2019s defence firing, the Lightning have the edge.<\/p>\n

Prediction:<\/b><\/span> Lightning 4, Kings 2<\/p>\n

Prop Bets of the Night<\/b><\/h2>\n
    \n
  • \n

    Under 6.5 Total Goals<\/b><\/span> (Kings\u2019 structure keeps things tighter than most Tampa Bay speedos at the beach.)<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

    Final Thoughts<\/b><\/h2>\n

    NHL Predictions thinks this game will be decided by discipline and execution rather than fireworks. If the Kings can survive the special teams battle, they\u2019ll have a chance, but Tampa at home remains a tough problem to solve.<\/p>\n

    Main Photo: Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images<\/p>\n

    Please play responsibly, check for your local rules and age restrictions; some jurisdictions require ages 21+. Gambling problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    Each day, our writers here at Last Word On Hockey look at the games and give in-depth analysis. Our team breaks down the key matchups, storylines, and stats, then makes predictions based on how they might play out. For this edition, we will look at the Tampa Bay Lightning hosting the Los Angeles Kings. Don\u2019t […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5453,"featured_media":439050,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[9,4547,24,4548,4524],"tags":[6028,6391],"class_list":["post-480187","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-lightning","category-hockey","category-kings","category-nhl","category-nhl-predictions","tag-los-angeles-kings-predictions","tag-tampa-bay-lightning-predictions"],"modified_by":"Levi Pike, Editor","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/480187","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5453"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=480187"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/480187\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":480233,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/480187\/revisions\/480233"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/439050"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=480187"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=480187"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=480187"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}