Tampa Bay Lightning vs Los Angeles Kings Prediction, Odds and Picks for Today, 01/01/26

The Tampa Bay Lightning and Los Angeles Kings ring in the new year with a Thursday night battle. These teams met earlier in the month in a 2-1 Kings win, so now the Lightning will be looking to return the favor in their second and final meeting of the season. Here is our expert Lightning vs. Kings prediction.

While their last matchup saw just 3 total goals and both the Lightning and Kings have been exceptional defensively, I see offense being the story tonight. Just 4 days ago, the Kings exploded for 6 goals against a tough Anaheim Ducks team, so while their overall offensive numbers have been weak, this shows they have it within them to score. This is especially possible with Tampa Bay playing in its second road game in as many nights. As for the Lightning, their offense goes without saying. They have the NHL’s 5th-best goals per game average (3.31), and have been filling the net over a 5-game winning streak (4.60 per game). This will be a close game, one that I expect lots of back and forth goals. For our Lightning vs. Kings prediction, take the over 5.5.

Lightning vs. Kings prediction: Over 5.5 (-125) available at time of publishing. Playable at that total to (-140).

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