Tonight, the Los Angeles Kings face off against the Tampa Bay Lightning at Benchmark International Arena in Tampa Bay, Florida. This is the first meeting between the two teams this season. The Kings are on the road to complete this week's road trip with their second game in as many days in Florida.
Los Angeles Kings Projected Lineup
The Kings are coming off a 3-2 loss against the Florida Panthers. Phillip Danault is out due to illness. Quinton Byfield did return Wednesday.
Here's how the Kings aligned in warmups before their game against the Panthers:
- Laferriere – Kopitar – Kempe
- Fiala – Byfield – Foegele
- Kuzmenko – Turcotte – Moore
- Armia – Helenius – Perry
- Anderson – Doughty
- Edmundson – Clarke
- Dumoulin – Ceci
- Forsberg
- Copley
Pheonix Copley is the projected starting goalie for Los Angeles. It will be Copley's first NHL start in two years, since suffering an ACL injury in December 2023.
Tampa Bay Lightning Projected Lineup
The Lightning are considered favorites with odds of -200, implying a 67% chance of winning. The Lightning are currently third in the Atlantic Division.
Here's how the Lightning lined up for their most recent game, a 5-2 loss to the Panthers on Monday:
- Hagel-Cirelli-Kucherov
- Guentzel-Point-Bjorkstrand
- Girgensons-Gourde-Holmberg
- Douglas-Paul-Sabourin
- Moser-Raddysh
- D'Astous-Crozier
- Carlile-Santini
- Johansson
- Halverson
Andrei Vasilevskiy is expected to start in goal. Ryan McDonagh is also slated to return to the lineup. Brandon Hagel is a game-time decision.
Keys to the Game
The Kings are looking to snap a four-game losing streak. Los Angeles has struggled to generate margin when playing from behind. Their offensive ceiling remains limited, which is problematic against a Tampa Bay team that can capitalize on mistakes at home. The Lightning have been inconsistent with their offense recently. Tampa Bay's blue line is banged up with Victor Hedman, Erik Cernak, and Emil Lilleberg out and Ryan McDonagh day-to-day. Nikita Kucherov leads the Lightning with 42 points.
