The Kings [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/los-angeles-kings] remain in the state of Florida [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/florida-panthers] as they take on the Tampa Bay Lightning [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/tampa-bay-lightning] tonight. The Kings are in the 2nd half of a back-to-back after losing to the Panthers yesterday, 3-2. Tampa is also coming off a 5-2 loss to the Panthers [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/florida-panthers] and is trying to avoid a 3-game losing streak tonight. The Kings are looking for their 3rd win in December as they try to avoid sliding down the Pacific standings. PROJECTED KINGS LINES Here are the projected lines [https://www.nhl.com/news/los-angeles-kings-tampa-bay-lightning-game-preview-december-18-2025] for the Kings tonight: Alex Laferriere - Anze Kopitar - Adrian Kempe Kevin Fiala - Quinton Byfield - Joel Armia Warren Foegele - Alex Turcotte - Trevor Moore Andrei Kuzmenko - Jeff Mallott - Corey Perry Mikey Anderson - Drew Doughty Joel Edmundson - Brandt Clarke Brian Dumoulin - Cody Ceci Anton Forsberg Pheonix Copley PROJECTED LIGHTNING LINES Here are the projected lines [https://www.nhl.com/news/los-angeles-kings-tampa-bay-lightning-game-preview-december-18-2025] for the Lightning [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/tampa-bay-lightning] tonight: Jake Guentzel - Anthony Cirelli - Nikita Kucherov Gage Goncalves - Brayden Point - Oliver Bjorkstrand Pontus Homberg - Yanni Gourde - Zemgus Girgensons Curtis Douglas - Nick Paul - Dominic James J.J. Moser - Darren Raddysh Ryan McDonagh - Max Crozier Charle-Edouard D'Astous - Steven Santini Andrei Vasilevskiy Jonas Johansson INJURIES AND LINE CHANGES With the Kings [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/los-angeles-kings] on a back-to-back, the lineup should have very minimal changes. Phillip Danault could return tonight, but no indication has been given that he will. Forsberg will get his second straight start after stopping 26 of 29 shots against Florida. Copley will back him up once again. The Lightning [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/tampa-bay-lightning] are without forward Brandon Hagel as he is day-to-day after leaving the game against the Panthers with an injury. Tampa will also be without Erik Cernak (undisclosed), Victor Hedman (elbow) and Emil Lilleberg (undisclosed). The Lightning will start Andrei Vasilevskiy tonight, who returns after an undisclosed injury and has not played since December 2. Tampa also welcomes back Ryan McDonagh after he has missed the last 18 games with an injury. KEY FACTORS The Kings [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/los-angeles-kings] need to be stronger overall, especially tonight against Tampa [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/tampa-bay-lightning], which has some offensive firepower in Jake Guentzel and Nikita Kucherov. During this losing streak, the Kings' defence has not been particularly bad, but with how good Tampa [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/tampa-bay-lightning] is offensively, they will have to be extra sharp. The Kings [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/los-angeles-kings] need other players to help provide offence. As recently as Kempe and Fiala, but the biggest issue is that Quinton Byfield has still not registered a point in December, as the Kings have played 7 games up to this point. The Kings [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/los-angeles-kings] are desperate for a win, and if they can generate enough offence tonight, that will be their key to success against this Tampa team. If the Kings' superstars can show up tonight, that is what they need to walk out of Tampa [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/tampa-bay-lightning] with 2 points.
