NHL Pick: Tampa Bay Lightning vs Los Angeles Kings
Can struggling Kings Stop Streaking Lightning?
The Tampa Bay Lightning (47-11-4) will host the Los Angeles Kings (23-32-6) on Monday, February 25th at 7:30 PM ET. The NHL leading Bolts will look to become the first team to reach 100 points this season. Tampa Bay is the favorite and are currently on an eight-game win streak. They have at least a point in each of their last ten games. Los Angeles has dropped seven straight games. Our Lightning vs Kings pick looks at how likely it is that Tampa Bay will cover the puckline.
Goaltending Matchup
Tampa Bay will give Andrei Vasilevskiy his second start in a row. He has been stellar all year. Vasilevskiy is currently tied for the best save percentage in the league (.931) and is second in GAA (2.25). Over his last four starts, he is 4-0-0 with a .984 save percentage allowing just two goals on 122 shots.
The Kings will send Jack Campbell to guard their net. Campbell replaced Jonathan Quick in the third period of the Kings’ last game. He has had a solid season, but has cooled down as of late. Campbell has a 2.25 GAA and a .926 save percentage on the year but has allowed seven goals over his last two starts. Our Lightning vs Kings pick notes that he will have his work cut out for him against the high-scoring Lightning.
Bolt & King Offenses
While the Kings’ are in the middle of the pack in terms of goals against, they have a tough matchup against the NHL’s top offense. Tampa has averaged 3.85 goals per game this season, and has scored 21 goals in their last five contests. They have five skaters who have averaged at least a point per game over their last three contests. They are led by Nikita Kucherov who became the first player to reach 100 points on the year. He has 19 points over his last seven games. Brayden Point (35-43-78) and Steven Stamkos (33-40-73) have been hot as well. They both have 11 points over their last six and seven games respectively. Overall, the Lightning have covered the puckline in four of their last five games.
The Kings’ offense has been stagnant over their last five games. They have scored just nine goals over that span. Recently, their top players have been nowhere to be found on the scoresheet. The team’s leading scorer, Anze Kopitar (17-27-44), has just two assists in his last five games. He also leads the club in goals scored but hasn’t found the back of the net in his last six games. Dustin Brown is second on LA in points but has just three in his last 10 games. This will be a difficult matchup for the Kings to try and gain scoring momentum. The edge in offensive potential in our Lightning vs Kings pick decisively goes to Tampa.
Lightning vs Kings Pick
Our Lightning vs Kings pick sees good value in the puckline for this game. Tampa Bay has had little trouble covering the puckline this season. Los Angeles’ lack of scoring coupled with the Bolts’ hot netminding makes another cover look likely. Our Lightning vs Kings pick expects Tampa to win by at least two against a struggling LA squad.
Lightning vs Kings Pick
Tampa Bay Puckline -1.5 (-104)
