Los Angeles Kings vs Tampa Bay Lightning Betting Pick & Prediction for 12/18

The Los Angeles Kings will play against the Tampa Bay Lightning in an NHL regular season game. The game will take place at Benchmark International Arena on Thursday, December 18, 2025, at 7:00 PM. Fans can watch the game on ESPN+.

The Kings have a record of 14-10-9 this season. They are ranked 4th in the Western Pacific Division. The Lightning have a record of 18-12-3 and are ranked 3rd in the Eastern Atlantic Division. Both teams will be looking to improve their standings in their respective divisions.

Kings vs Lightning Game Day Info

• Sport: NHL
• Teams: Los Angeles Kings vs. Tampa Bay Lightning
• Venue: Benchmark International Arena
• Date: Thursday, December 18, 2025
• Betting Odds: Los Angeles Kings Puck Line +1.5 (-163), Tampa Bay Lightning Puck Line -1.5 (+134), Los Angeles Kings MoneyLine +155, Tampa Bay Lightning MoneyLine -187, Over/Under 5.5 (-121/+100)

Los Angeles Kings Team Preview

The Los Angeles Kings have had a challenging stretch in recent games. They suffered a 3-2 loss against the Florida Panthers. The Kings managed 29 shots on goal, but it wasn’t enough to secure a win. Kevin Fiala and Joel Armia each scored a goal in this game.

In a previous game, the Kings faced the Dallas Stars and lost 4-1. The Kings took 28 shots on goal and recorded one power play goal. Andrei Kuzmenko was the only King to find the net in this matchup.

Despite recent losses, the Kings had a victory against the Utah Mammoth. They won 4-2 with goals from Joel Armia, Adrian Kempe, and Anze Kopitar. The Kings had 27 shots on goal and limited the Mammoth to 21 shots.

Tampa Bay Lightning Team Preview

The Tampa Bay Lightning have had a mixed performance in recent games. They lost to the Florida Panthers 5-2 at home, despite having more shots on goal. They did not score any power play goals in that game.

In a road game against the New York Islanders, the Lightning lost 3-2. They managed to score one power play goal. The Lightning had more shots on goal than the Islanders.

The Lightning secured a big win against the New Jersey Devils with an 8-4 score. They scored two power play goals in that game. Nikita Kucherov contributed with four assists in this high-scoring game.

BTB Betting Pick

The Tampa Bay Lightning are favored to win against the Los Angeles Kings with a moneyline of -187. The Kings have a moneyline of +155. The Lightning have shown strong offensive stats with 106 goals and 182 assists this season, ranking them 7th and 8th respectively. Based on these stats, the projected score is Tampa Bay 4, Los Angeles 2. The recommendation is to pick the Tampa Bay Lightning to win straight up.

The current total for the game is set at 5.5 goals. The Lightning’s offensive power combined with the Kings’ rank of 3rd for goals against suggests a high-scoring game. The projected total score is 6 goals. Therefore, the recommendation is to take the over at 5.5 (-121).