Liontips
Los Angeles vs. Tampa Bay: NHL Match Prediction
On January 5, the local "kings" will play against guests from Florida in California. Tampa Bay did not start the road in the best way and suffered an unpleasant defeat from San Jose. Los Angeles, however, gained great momentum and rushed to chase the leading three in the West. Jim Hiller charges perform well with the support of their home stands and very rarely lose on the ice of the Crypto.com arena. Will they be able to win again? Read about it in our forecast
Command Analysis
Los Angeles Kings
USACurrent form
Los Angeles is in fourth place in the Western Conference standings and is trying hard to secure second place in the division, winning the battle with Edmonton. The Kings have earned 49 points in 37 games and are the best home team in the conference in terms of points scored. Jim Hiller men did not have a very successful last trip, losing to Nashville (2:3, OT) and Washington (1:3). Returning home, the Kings got down to business and beat Edmonton (4:3, OT), Philadelphia (5:4) and New Jersey (3:0) in turn. The score in the match against the Devils remained slippery for a long time, but the hosts stepped up at the end and crushed the opponent.
At the end of December, the Californians were not very reliable in defense and conceded ten goals in three games. In the first game of 2025, Los Angeles did not allow a single goal, and Darcy Kuemper made his second shutout this season. In total, the Canadian appeared on the ice 18 times during the regular season and reflected 91.60% of shots on his possessions.
Anze Kopitar remains the leader of the hosts' offense with 39 points (12+27) in the goal+pass system. Adrian Kempe (18+18), who regularly finishes the Kings' attacks, has come close to him. In the current home series, the Kings are making great use of their chances. In the last three games, they have made 11 accurate shots.
Disqualifications and injuries
Drew Doughty and Trevor Lewis will not play against Tampa. Trevor Moore participation has not yet been confirmed.
Interesting trends for betting
- On average, Los Angeles takes at least 27 shots per game.
The Kings are targeting the opposing goal, but they prefer to play the puck until it right.
- Statistically, the Kings get eight minutes of penalty time.
Los Angeles is not known for its good discipline and usually gets sent off at least four times per game
Tampa Bay Lightning
USACurrent form
Tampa Bay is currently in seventh place in the East, but can seriously improve its position in the very near future. The club from the state of Florida has 42 points after 35 starts and the visitors have five games in hand in relation to Boston, which has only scored two points more. The Lightning played well in December, but somewhat spoiled the end of the calendar year, losing to Montreal (2:5) after victories over Florida (4:0) and the Rangers (6:2). The away tour of the team under the leadership of John Cooper began with an unpleasant defeat to San Jose (1:2). The Lightning attacked Yaroslav Askarov goal throughout the match, but were able to score only one goal and deservedly lost.
Victor Hedman team hasn't been the most successful in attack in recent games. In the last two games, they have scored only three goals, and in the previous five starts, they have scored no more than twice three times. Nikita Kucherov continues to drag his team forward and is fourth on the league list of top scorers. The Russian has 54 scoring actions this season (17+37).
Andrei Vasilevskiy often fails at the last line, having a 91.28% save percentage. The goalie has played 28 games and only twice left the ice without conceding a goal. Backup Jonas Johansson is even worse. On average, the Swede concedes 3.36 goals per game and every tenth shot on his goal by an opponent is a goal.
Disqualifications and injuries
Janis Moser won't help his partners in California. Victor Hedman participation is in question.
Interesting trends for betting
- Tampa Bay has a 43-37 lead in goals scored and allowed in the second period.
The Lightning second period is the worst in terms of reliability and they rarely score themselves.
- The Lightning are winning 51% of their faceoffs.
The visitors look good at the point and often win the puck for their teammates.
Trends
Bet 1st period: total over 1.5 goals
Two of the three games in California saw at least two goals scored
1.78Bet 2nd period: Los Angeles will score
The Kings have scored in the second period against Tampa in every game since 2020.
1.45Tip and bets
Los Angeles is incredibly good on home ice and currently ranks fourth in the conference only because it has played the least amount of games in California. Jim Hiller men are in great shape and have scored 100 percent of the points in the current home series. Tampa Bay has hit a slump after a strong December and has looked poor in recent games. The Lightning have managed to score only one goal against San Jose, and it will be much more difficult to break through the Kings' defense. We think that Anze Kopitar team will succeed within regulation time, but we will hedge our bet with a zero handicap.
Prediction - Los Angeles win with Asian handicap (0) for 1.75
Bet on individual total
Los Angeles is extremely strong on home ice and rarely leaves the ice without at least three accurate shots. Jim Hiller team has scored 11 times in the last three games and has used its chances well. Tampa Bay is not so reliable on the road and allows an average of 3.18 goals per game. We think that the Kings will turn on the red light behind the opponent net at least three times.
We take the individual total of Los Angeles over 2.5 goals with a coefficient of 1.65
Total Bet
The meetings between the teams often turn out to be high-scoring and in the five previous head-to-head matches the teams only once failed to score at least six goals. Los Angeles is obliged to break through the visitors' defense, but the Lightning have a weapon in the person of Nikita Kucherov, who alone can make the result of any match. We expect at least six goals from the opponents.
We bet on total over 5.5 goals with odds of 1.80
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