The Los Angeles Kings take on the Tampa Bay Lightning at Benchmark International Arena. Here are the projected/expected lineups sourced from NHL.com staff writers, independent correspondents, and others.
KINGS (14-10-9) at LIGHTNING (18-12-3)
7 p.m. ET; The Spot, FDSNW
Kings projected lineup
Andrei Kuzmenko — Anze Kopitar — Adrian Kempe
Kevin Fiala — Alex Turcotte — Joel Armia
Warren Foegele — Alex Laferriere — Trevor Moore
Jeff Malott — Samuel Helenius — Corey Perry
Mikey Anderson — Drew Doughty
Joel Edmundson — Brandt Clarke
Brian Dumoulin — Cody Ceci
Darcy Kuemper
Anton Forsberg
Scratched: Jacob Moverare, Andrei Kuzmenko
Injured: Quinton Byfield (illness), Phillip Danault (illness)
Status report
Both Kings coach Jim Hiller and Lightning coach Jon Cooper will speak prior to warmups to confirm lineups. …Danault, a forward, is questionable.
Latest for THW:
- NHL Rumors: Danault Denial, Matthews’ Gesture, Oilers Done With Forward?
- NHL Morning Recap – December 18, 2025
- Projected Lineups for Kings vs Panthers – 12/17/25
Lightning projected lineup
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
Scratched: Declan Carlile
Injured: Erik Cernak (undisclosed), Victor Hedman (elbow), Emil Lilleberg (undisclosed), Brandon Hagel (upper body)
Status report:
Hagel, a forward, is day-to-day after being forced to leave the game Monday against the Florida Panthers. …McDonagh and Vasilevskiy are both expected to return to the lineup.
Latest for THW:
- NHL Morning Recap – December 16, 2025
- Projected Lineups for Panthers vs Lightning – 12/15/25
- Revisiting the Dan Boyle Trade That’s Still Impacting the Lightning
