Los Angeles Kings vs Tampa Bay Lightning Betting Pick & Prediction 1/9/24

Don't miss out on the NHL showdown between the Kings and Lightning. The game is starting at 7:00 ET on ESPN+, and it's hosted by the Lightning at Amalie Arena in Tampa, FL. Get ready to place your bets! The Kings are the favorites in this non-conference matchup against Lightning. The over/under for the game is set at 6 goals.

LOS ANGELES KINGS VS TAMPA BAY LIGHTNING BETTING PICK

The Pick: Tampa Bay Lightning +1.5

This game will be played at Amalie Arena at 7:00 ET on Tuesday, January 9th.

WHY BET THE TAMPA BAY LIGHTNING:

• Even though they are considered 1.5-goal underdogs, our projection points to a 4-2 win for the Lightning.
• We like the Lightning on the moneyline (-106)
• The Lightning are also our pick on the spread at +1.5

Does Los Angeles Have A Chance at Amalie Arena?

Heading into tonight's game, the Kings are in 6th place in the Western Conference with a record of 20-10-6. In the Pacific Division, Los Angeles is in 3rd place. On the road this season, the Kings have gone 13-3-1, but they have lost their last two road games. Over their last ten games, Los Angeles has gone 4-6, and they have lost five straight games.

Against other teams from the Western Conference, the Kings have gone 13-6 this season. When favored, Los Angeles has gone 15-8-4, and they have been favored in 27 of their 36 games. So far this season, the Kings have scored 46 points.

Los Angeles enters this game with an average scoring margin of +.9 goals per game, and they have 15 wins by multiple goals compared to 5 wins by just one goal. So far, the Kings have gone 18-18 against the puck line this season and have dropped each of their last five games vs. the puck line.

On the road, the Kings have gone 10-7 against the puck line this season, and their average scoring margin is +1.8 goals per game. In their last ten road games, the Kings have gone just 4-6 vs. the puck line.

This season, Los Angeles' games are averaging 5.9 goals per game. Their average over/under line is 6.2. The Kings currently have an over/under record of 14-21-1.

Through their last three road contests, the Kings offense has averaged 3 goals per game while allowing an average of 2. Los Angeles posted an overall record of 1-2 while going 1-2 ATS.

When looking at their offense, the Kings have an average of 3.4 goals per game this season, positioning themselves 18th in the NHL. In terms of shots on goal per game, they are ranked 10th in the league. This season, the Kings have a 14-8 record in games where they outshoot their opponent. In games with fewer shots on goal, they hold a 5-1 record.

Los Angeles will be looking for a good game from Trevor Moore who leads the team in scoring with 17 goals, ranking 28th in the NHL. In addition to his goal scoring, Moore has 9 assists this season.

Tampa Bay defense takes on the Kings ranked 9th in goals allowed. On average, opponents are averaging 30.2 shots per game against Tampa Bay. They also are 5th in shutouts, with 3 shutouts.

Entering the game, goalie Cam Talbot has started 25 games this season. His current record stands at 14-9, and his save percentage is 0.903%.

Do the Lightning Stand a Chance at Home?

At home this season, Tampa Bay has gone 11-5-3 and is 12-8-1 as the underdog. Overall, the Lightning are 19-17-5 and sit in 12th place in the Eastern Conference.

In their last ten games, Tampa Bay has gone 5-5 and has lost three straight games as the underdog. Against teams from the Western Conference, the Lightning are 8-11 this year.

At home this year, Tampa Bay has a puck line record of 11-8, and their average scoring margin at home is +.6 goals per game. So far, the Lightning have been the underdog in 20 games, and their puck line record as the underdog is 12-8. Overall, Tampa Bay's puck line mark for the season is 19-22.

Through their first 43 games, the Lightning have 13 wins by multiple goals and 16 losses by more than one goal. In their last ten home games, Tampa Bay's puck line record is 6-4, and their average scoring differential as the underdog is -.7 goals per game. In their last 5 games, the Lightning's puck line record is just 1-4.

For the season, the average number of goals per game in matchups featuring Tampa Bay is 6.8. The season's average over/under line is currently at 6.5. The Lightning come in with an over/under record of 18-19-4.

In their last three games away from home, the Kings have a straight up record of 1-2 while going 1-2 vs the spread. The team's offense averaged 3 goals per game in these contests.

When looking at their offense, the Lightning have an average of 3.2 goals per game this season, positioning themselves 7th in the NHL. In terms of shots on goal per game, they are ranked 11th in the league. Looking at how the Lightning's offense is performing during power plays, they are 2nd in power play goals and 31st in shorthanded goals.

Tampa Bay will be looking for a good game from Nikita Kucherov who leads the team in scoring with 28 goals, ranking 2nd in the NHL. Along with his scoring, he has come up with 39 assists so far.

Defensively, the Lightning come into the season ranked 9th in goals allowed. Opponents are averaging 30.2 shots per game against Tampa Bay. For the season, they are ranked 5th in shutouts, coming in with 3 shutouts.

Goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy gets the start and has made 18 starts this season. His record at this point is 9-9, and his save percentage is 0.641%.