The Thursday NHL schedule features the Tampa Bay Lightning (18-12-3) hosting the Los Angeles Kings (14-10-9) at Benchmark International Arena, starting at 7 p.m. ET on ESPN+. The Lightning rank seventh in the Eastern Conference with 39 points and the Kings are seventh in the Western Conference with 37 points.

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Lightning vs. Kings: Dec. 18 Viewing Options

Date: Thursday, December 18, 2025
Time: 7 p.m. ET
How to watch on TV: ESPN+
Location: Tampa, Florida
Venue: Benchmark International Arena
Live Stream: Watch this game on ESPN+
Live Stream: Watch this game on Fubo (Regional restrictions may apply)
Lightning’s 2025-26 Stats

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Lightning vs. Kings Top Players

Lightning

A leading offensive player this season for Tampa Bay, Nikita Kucherov has put up 42 points.
Jake Guentzel has 33 points (15 goals, 18 assists) to add to the team’s scoring efforts.
Through 32 games, Brandon Hagel has proven himself as a scoring option for Tampa Bay. He has 31 points (18 goals and 13 assists).
Andrei Vasilevskiy (11-6-2) has a 2.3 goals against average and a save percentage of .917 for Tampa Bay.
Kings

Adrian Kempe’s 28 points make him an important offensive option for Los Angeles. He has 11 goals and 17 assists in 33 games.
Kevin Fiala is one of the top contributors for Los Angeles with 23 total points (0.7 per game), with 12 goals and 11 assists in 33 games.
Quinton Byfield is a key player on offense for Los Angeles with four goals and 15 assists.
Darcy Kuemper is 10-6-6 this season, collecting 539 saves and allowing 49 goals (2.2 goals against average) with a .917 save percentage (10th-best in the league).
Lightning vs. Kings Injury Report

Lightning

Emil Martinsen Lilleberg: Out (Undisclosed),

Victor Hedman: Out (Elbow),

Ryan McDonagh: Day-To-Day (Undisclosed),

Brandon Hagel: Day-To-Day (Upper Body),

Erik Cernak: Out (Undisclosed)

Kings

Phillip Danault: Day-To-Day (Illness),

Darcy Kuemper: Out (Upper Body)

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Lightning’s Schedule