The LA Kings (14-10-9) face the Tampa Bay Lightning (18-12-3) Thursday. Puck drop from Benchmark International Arena in Tampa, Florida, is set for 7 p.m. ET (ESPN+). Let’s analyze BetMGM Sportsbook’s NHL odds around the Kings vs. Lightning odds and make our expert NHL picks and predictions.
2024-25 season series: Tied 1-1
The Kings have dropped 4 in a row after a 3-2 loss at the Florida Panthers Wednesday as +121 dogs. LW Kevin Fiala scored his 12th goal of the season in the defeat. They’re operating without starting G Darcy Kuemper (upper body) and have dropped 7 of 10.
The Bolts fell to the Panthers 5-2 Monday. They went 0-for-5 on the power play and are just 22nd in the league at 17.3% conversion with the extra man. RW Nikita Kucherov was held off the score sheet after dropping a goal and 7 assists in the previous 3 games. He’s eighth in the NHL with 42 points. They’re without top D-man Victor Hedman, who underwent elbow surgery.
Kings at Lightning odds
Provided by BetMGM Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated at 12:35 p.m. ET.
Moneyline (ML): Kings +165 (bet $100 to win $165) | Lightning -200 (bet $200 to win $100)Puck line (PL)/Against the spread (ATS): Kings +1.5 (-150) | Lightning -1.5 (+125)Over/Under (O/U): 5.5 (O: -120 | U: +100)Kings at Lightning projected goalies
Pheonix Copley (7-6-0, 3.13 GAA, .885 SV% in AHL) vs. Andrei Vasilevskiy (11-2-4, 2.33 GAA, .903 SV%, 2 SO)
Copley, 33, will see his first start in 2 seasons. He got 35 starts for the Kings in 2022-23 and went 24-6-0 with a 2.64 GAA and .903 SV%. He saw 1 relief outing with the club last season and has spent this season in the AHL with mediocre results.
Vassy has been out since Dec. 2 with an undisclosed injury and was activated from IR. He stopped 22 of 24 in that Dec. 2 start against the New York Islanders. He has returned to his All-World form with an 8-2-0 record, a 2.08 GAA and .931 SV% in 10 November starts. He went 1-1-0 with a 1.02 GAA and .959 SV% in 2 starts against L.A. last season.
Kings at Lightning picks and predictionsPrediction
Lightning 3, Kings 2
There’s no play here with a struggling Kings team facing the heavily favored Lightning, who are getting their top goalie back.
PASS.
I’ll take the KINGS +1.5 (-159). Though they’ve lost 4 straight, 3 of them were by a single goal. The Bolts have also lost 6 of 8, which makes this cushion attractive.
The Bolts are 5-5 O/U in their last 10. Meanwhile, the Kings are 3-7. When it comes to head-to-head, the Under has cashed in 3 of 4 meetings.
Take UNDER 5.5 (+100).
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