Thursday's NHL action will see the Tampa Bay Lightning (18-12-3) square off against the Los Angeles Kings (14-10-9), starting at 7 p.m. ET at Benchmark International Arena and broadcast on ESPN+. The Lightning are seventh in the Eastern Conference and the Kings are seventh in the Western Conference.
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Lightning vs. Kings: Dec. 18 Viewing Options
- Date: Thursday, December 18, 2025
- Time: 7 p.m. ET
- How to watch on TV: ESPN+
- Location: Tampa, Florida
- Venue: Benchmark International Arena
- Live Stream: Watch this game on ESPN+
- Live Stream: Watch this game on Fubo (Regional restrictions may apply)
Lightning's 2025-26 Stats
| Stat | Per-Game Average | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| Goals Scored | 3.21 | 9th |
| Goals Allowed | 2.64 | 6th |
| Shots | 27.7 | 18th |
| Shots Allowed | 26.9 | 9th |
| Power Play % | 16.35% | 24th |
| Penalty Kill % | 85.05% | 2nd |
Kings' 2025-26 Stats
| Stat | Per-Game Average | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| Goals Scored | 2.58 | 28th |
| Goals Allowed | 2.55 | 3rd |
| Shots | 28.2 | 16th |
| Shots Allowed | 26.7 | 8th |
| Power Play % | 14.71% | 31st |
| Penalty Kill % | 79.82% | 20th |
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Lightning vs. Kings Top Players
Lightning
- A productive offensive player this season for Tampa Bay, Nikita Kucherov has put up 42 points.
- Having scored 15 goals and adding 18 assists, Jake Guentzel is excelling for Tampa Bay through 33 games.
- Tampa Bay's offensive effort is aided by Brandon Hagel's 33 points. He's contributed 13 assists.
- Andrei Vasilevskiy (11-6-2) has a 2.3 goals against average and a save percentage of .917 for Tampa Bay.
Kings
- Adrian Kempe has scored 11 goals (0.3 per game) and collected 17 assists (0.5 per game), fueling the Los Angeles offense with 28 total points (0.8 per game). He averages 3.0 shots per game, shooting 11.2%.
- Kevin Fiala has helped lead the attack for Los Angeles this season with 12 goals and 11 assists.
- Los Angeles' Quinton Byfield is among the leaders on the team with 19 total points (four goals and 15 assists).
- Darcy Kuemper has a 10-6-6 record this season, with a .917 save percentage (11th in the league). He has 539 saves, and has conceded 49 goals (2.2 goals against average).
Lightning vs. Kings Injury Report
Lightning
Erik Cernak: Out (Undisclosed),
Victor Hedman: Out (Elbow),
Emil Martinsen Lilleberg: Out (Undisclosed),
Ryan McDonagh: Day-To-Day (Undisclosed),
Brandon Hagel: Day-To-Day (Upper Body)
Kings
Darcy Kuemper: Out (Upper Body),
Phillip Danault: Day-To-Day (Illness)
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Lightning's Schedule
| Date | Opponent | Score | Home/Away |
|---|---|---|---|
| 12/11/2025 | Devils | W 8-4 | Away |
| 12/13/2025 | Islanders | L 3-2 | Away |
| 12/15/2025 | Panthers | L 5-2 | Home |
| 12/18/2025 | Kings | - | Home |
| 12/20/2025 | Hurricanes | - | Home |
| 12/22/2025 | Blues | - | Home |
| 12/27/2025 | Panthers | - | Away |
Kings' Schedule
| Date | Opponent | Score | Home/Away |
|---|---|---|---|
| 12/13/2025 | Flames | L 2-1 | Home |
| 12/15/2025 | Stars | L 4-1 | Away |
| 12/17/2025 | Panthers | L 3-2 | Away |
| 12/18/2025 | Lightning | - | Away |
| 12/22/2025 | Blue Jackets | - | Home |
| 12/23/2025 | Kraken | - | Home |
| 12/27/2025 | Ducks | - | Home |