Los Angeles Kings vs Tampa Bay Lightning Preview
Kings have failed to cash in five straight games, Tampa looks to rebound
The Los Angeles Kings (20-10-6, 46 points) continue their six-game road trip with a stop in Tampa to face the Lighting (19-17-5, 43 points). The Kings are in third place in the Pacific Division, seven points behind the Vancouver Canucks. Tampa is sitting in fifth place, 11 points behind the Boston Bruins in the Atlantic Division. Oddsmakers have made Tampa Bay a small -118 favorite with a total of 6 (Over -120). The puck-drop is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. ET and can be seen on Bally Sports West and Bally Sports Sunshine Network. We start our Kings vs Lightning preview with a deeper look at the Los Angeles Kings.
Kings vs Lightning 
Day/Time:
Location: Amalie Arena, Tampa, FL
Streaming: Watch Live Sports
Los Angeles Suffers Rare Road Loss
If the Kings ever find a way to win at home (7-7-5), Los Angeles would be at the top of the Pacific Division. Although the Kings are coming off a road loss against the Washington Capitals, Todd McLellan’s team is still an impressive 13-3-1 away from the Crypt.
Even though we have the Kings in the fifth spot of our latest NHL power rankings, they will need to find a way to be more consistent. The Kings were 53.2 seconds away from sending Sunday’s game into overtime before John Carlson scored to complete the third-period comeback (4-3) after trailing 3-2 with 11 minutes left. Washington showed off their depth in the win, something Los Angeles will have to start doing.
Over the last 10 games, only third-liner Kevin Fiala (4 goals, three assists) and fourth-liner Trevor Lewis (2 goals) have scored more than once.
They are getting next to nothing in terms of offense from their blue line, with Vladislav Gavrikov (1 goal, 1 assist) the lone goal scorer in their last 10 games. If Phillip Danault (0 goals) and Blake Lizotte (1 goal) can start contributing, NHL scores will reflect more victories.
Tampa Coming Off Massive Loss To Boston
Every NHL team loses, but some sting more than others, and the Lightning’s recent 7-3 loss to the Boston Bruins has to sting just a little more. If you thought this was a meaningless game in January, all you had to do was watch Jon Cooper lose it to the point where he received a bench minor for his displeasure with the officials.
Tampa wanted this game, and they were thrashed. Betting is so much about psychology, and the effects of a loss that pushed the Lighting out of a wild card spot could very well be felt in this NHL match-up. We have seen this version of the Lightning coming for years with slow starts but they always managed to battle through.
We’re not sure they will pick themselves up in 2024, even with their abundance of stars and experience. Unlike the Kings, the road hasn’t been a friendly place for the Lighting, who are 8-12-2 away from Amalie Arena (11-5-3 at home). We conclude our Kings vs Lightning preview with our official selection.
Special Teams Prove To Be The Difference
We’ve never been much for betting teams with unreliable power play units. Even with the Kings (15-1) Stanley Cup odds being better than the Tampa Bay Lighting (28-1), a home-ice advantage along with a better special teams swings our opinion towards Tampa.
Despite their troubles, Tampa is second in the NHL with 38 power-play goals, one less than Carolina (39). Los Angeles is 17th with 24. The Lighting success rate is 29% (2nd) compared the the Kings 19.7% (18th). We still have the Kings as one of the best teams in hockey, but to bettors, they’re too inconsistent to blindly bet with -2.62 units lost this NHL season.
The Lightning have lost 5.88 units overall, but at Amalie Arena, they have been profitable with 0.69 units won compared to -6.56 on the road. Tampa should be hyper-focused after the loss to the Bs, making this one of our best NHL bets today. Take Tampa Bay and the generous home price.
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