For the first time in two years, Pheonix Copley could start in goal for the LA Kings tonight.
It’s been a rather dizzying few months for the veteran goaltender, and it would almost seem fitting for him to make his official NHL return in Tampa Bay. After all, the Lightning claimed him off waivers when the Kings originally tried sending him to AHL Ontario in October — only to have LA GM Ken Holland make a subsequent trade with Tampa to get him back.
Coach Jim Hiller has yet to declare if Copley will actually get the start tonight. However, his only other option would be to turn back to Anton Forsberg, who played last night against Florida and has seen action twice over the past three days.
Which way will Hiller go?
Regardless, goaltending isn’t really the issue. It’s scoring; and the Kings need some quickly.
Hiller’s team appears to be in some sort of a rut. Things just aren’t clicking.
Offensively, they do just about everything but score. They hit posts, crossbars, shots get deflected just wide, sticks break, or opposing goaltenders make heroic stops. That’s how it’s been going for about a month now, and everyone surrounding the team is looking for it to change.
Thankfully, for all involved, tonight brings the current three-game road trip to a conclusion. It won’t come easy in Tampa Bay, yet the Kings will be looking for their first win in a week. Many Kings fans will remember how Copley pretty much saved their season a few years ago. Does he happen to have any more of that magic in him?
Overall, not much has to change in the Kings on-ice execution except for their ability to bury some of these chances. Last night, the Kings were given three breakaway opportunities and failed to capitalize on any of them. History suggests these one-goal losses will start to turn to wins if just some of these chances find the back of the net.
Phil Danault is expected to miss his fourth straight game while he recovers from the flu. The only other potential lineup change to keep an eye out for would be Jacob Moverare getting a start on defense. Coming on the backend of consecutive nights, with some limited travel between cities, Hiller could opt to get his seventh defenseman a rare start. We shall see.
Statistically Speaking
— Kings team shooting percentage is 9.1%, putting them 31st in the league (ahead of only Calgary).
— Drew Doughty sits four points shy of 700 in career, and leads the team in TOI/GP w/ 22:33 min.
— Anze Kopitar has 17 points against the Lightning in 26 career games.
— Sammy Helenius played a season-high 15 shifts and had 10:51 of ice time on Monday. Last night, he saw that time cut nearly in half, down to 6:22 over seven shifts.
— Goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy (who is expected to return tonight, see below) is 10-4-1 lifetime vs. LA.
What You May Have Missed
With the Kings and Ducks set to play three times over the next 30 days, we shared some exciting news yesterday:
Kings Projected Lineup vs. Lightning
If there are any key changes during pregame warmups, this article will be updated.
Laferriere – Kopitar – Kempe
Fiala – Byfield – Foegele
Kuzmenko – Turcotte – Moore
Armia – Helenius – Perry
Anderson – Doughty
Edmundson – Clarke
Dumoulin – Ceci
Forsberg (starter)
Copley
Likely scratches: (F) Danault, Malott and (D) Moverare
Injured Reserve: Kuemper
How to Watch the Game
Puck drop is set for 4:00 pm Pacific Time and will be televised by FanDuel Sports. Additionally, a Kings radio feed is available on the ESPN LA app.
Tony Granato will slide in as color analyst on the TV side for this road trip. Jim Fox is on holiday.
Get to know new Kings play-by-play voice John Kelly by checking out his interview here. He tells some interesting stories about joining the Kings broadcasts and what it was like calling games against them for most of his career.
Across the Ice
Tampa Bay is coming off a 5-2 loss to Florida on Monday. Here’s how they lined up in that matchup:
Hagel – Cirelli – Kucherov
Guentzel – Point – Bjorkstrand
Holmberg – Gourde – Girgensons
Douglas – Paul – Sabourin
Moser – Raddysh
D’Astous – Crozier
Carlile – Santini
The Big Cat is BACK! ⚡️
Andrei Vasilevskiy returns to the @TBLightning crease after missing the past seven games! pic.twitter.com/LJ1SDkiLNI
— NHL (@NHL) December 18, 2025
On This Day in Kings History
On December 18, 2003, Pete Demers was honored for working 2,500 consecutive games as head athletic trainer for the @LAKings. Demers, who started with the #LAKings in 1972, was with the organization for 34 seasons, and worked 2,632 consecutive games.#GoKingsGo pic.twitter.com/FQcxikEEq7
— The Kingstorian (@Kingstorian) December 18, 2025
MORE LA KINGS NEWS:
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