Tampa Bay Hopes To Avoid Letdown
The Tampa Bay Lightning knocked off the league-best Boston Bruins 3-2 on Thursday to tie the franchise record of 11 wins in a row at home, set during the 2019-2020 season, and aim to top that against the Los Angeles Kings on Saturday.
The Lightning, who trail Toronto by five points with three games in hand for second place in the Atlantic Division, received three assists from Hart Trophy candidate Nikita Kucherov and a winning goal from defenseman Victor Hedman with 6:41 remaining to end the Bruins’ six-game win streak.
While the Lightning prepare for their final contest before enjoying eight days off during the All-Star break, the Kings are 3-1 on a six-game road swing that concludes in Carolina.on Tuesday. Los Angeles beat Tampa Bay at home in late October and owns a solid road record at 14-8-4.
According to the NHL playoff odds, the Lightning (+1200) are tied for the fifth-best odds to win the Stanley Cup. The Kings are well behind at +3300.
Let’s check the latest NHL news, stats, injury reports, and NHL lines for Kings vs Lightning. We’ve got plenty of NHL picks for you to consider.
Kings Seek Fourth Straight Win
Los Angeles rebounded from a three-game losing streak in which it was outscored 14-5 by winning the last three contests, capped by Friday’s 4-3 triumph at Florida.
The victory, which included two short-handed goals and 45 saves from Phoenix Copley, moved the Kings into first place in the Pacific Division. Leading scorer Kevin Fiala has 16 points in his last 13 contests and captain Anze Kopitar scored three times the past two games.
Jonathan Quick, who has not won since Dec. 1, is likely to get the start and is 7-5-3 lifetime against the Lightning after making 23 saves on Oct. 25. Quick is 3-1-1 this season versus the Atlantic.
The Las Vegas odds total has gone over in six of the last eight games for Los Angeles.
Kucherov Piling Up Points
Kucherov trails only Edmonton’s duo of Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl in the race for the scoring title at 71 points through 47 contests with a league best 52 assists.
The Russian right wing boasts nine points during a five-game point streak and captain Steven Stamkos has hit the scorebook in 10 straight outings (7 goals, 7 assists).
Andrei Vasilevskiy will likely be in net for Tampa Bay after stopping 70 of 74 shots in his last two games that included a 4-2 win over Minnesota on Tuesday. The former Vezina Trophy winner is 14-5-0 since Dec. 1 and 7-3-0 lifetime versus the Kings despite a loss three months ago.
The NHL betting lines total has gone under just once (1-4-1) in Tampa Bay’s last six games against the Pacific.
Kings vs Lightning Game Injuries
Kings vs Lightning Head-to-Head
Los Angeles held the Lightning’s vaunted power play scoreless on four tries and allowed just 25 shots in a 4-2 victory on Oct. 25 that ended a 10-game losing streak in the series.
Forward Gabriel Vilardi, who had a goal and an assist in the win against Tampa Bay, is out with an upper body injury and the Kings expect to be without three other regulars up front including Trevor Moore, Carl Grundstrom and Artur Kaliyev due to injuries.
The Lightning have won the last six meetings at home and the NHL betting lines total has gone under just once in the last 10 matchups (1-6-3).
Kings vs Lightning Game Information
- Game: Kings (28-17-6) vs Lightning (31-15-1)
- Location: Amalie Arena, Tampa
- Day/Time: Saturday, Jan. 28, 7 p.m. ET
- King vs Lightning Live Stream: NHL.TV
Kings vs Lightning Betting Lines
Kings vs Lightning Prediction
Los Angeles allowed one regulation goal in each of its last two second games of a back to back.despite going 1-4 ML in the past five.
But the Lightning are 17-3-1 overall off one day’s rest (12-9 ATS) and their power play is ranked second in the league while the Kings are 24th on the penalty kill despite going 10 for 10 the past three contests.
The Kings, who are 5-1 in their last six road games, can hang tough. Tampa Bay will likely take advantage of the extra rest in the third period and is the pick if you are betting online.
Los Angeles is listed at +180 in our Las Vegas odds. This means that if you wager $100 on the Kings, you have a chance to win +180. Tampa Bay is -220, offering a chance to win $45 on a $100 wager.
The implied probability attached to the betting lines gives Los Angeles a 68.75% chance to win, with the Lightning at 35.71%.
The odds in this chart are based on the time of publication. They are subject to change.
Kings vs Lightning Trends
Kings vs Lightning Edge
Kings vs Lightning Results
Kings vs Lightning Game Summary
