Columbus @ Los Angeles preview

Last Meeting ( Dec 19, 2019 ) Los Angeles 2, Columbus 3

The Columbus Blue Jackets saw their impressive 12-game point streak (8-0-4) come to a halt on Saturday after a California-based club came calling to Ohio. The Blue Jackets look to regain their footing when they head to the Golden State to open a four-game road trip, beginning with Monday's contest versus the Los Angeles Kings.

Columbus defenseman Zach Werenski followed up his first career hat trick on New Year's Eve by scoring twice four days later in a 3-2 setback to San Jose. "Pucks are just going in. I'm shooting them, trying to put pucks to the net whenever I can, and they seem to be going in for me," said the 22-year-old, who also had a multi-point performance in the Blue Jackets' 3-2 overtime win against Los Angeles on Dec. 19. Jeff Carter scored against his former team in that contest for the Kings, who drew the ire of their coach on Saturday after they fell for the fifth time in seven outings (2-4-1) with a 4-1 setback to Nashville. "Perhaps this is good for our team, a little piece of humble pie won't hurt us right now. Gives us an indication that we still got a lot of work to do." Los Angeles coach Todd McLellan told reporters.

TIME: 10:30 p.m. ET. TV: FS Ohio, FS West

ABOUT THE BLUE JACKETS (19-15-8): Pierre-Luc Dubois, who scored in overtime in Columbus' first encounter with Los Angeles, leads the team with 14 goals and has 10 (four goals, six assists) of his club high-tying 28 points in his last 11 games. Dubois is even with Gustav Nyquist in points, with the latter collecting two assists in the meeting with the Kings as part of his five-game point streak at the time. The 30-year-old Swede has been held off the scoresheet in five of his last six outings, however.

ABOUT THE KINGS (17-22-4): Alex Iafallo did not score in the first encounter with Columbus, however he has recorded at least a point in each of the following six games (three goals, four assists). The 26-year-old celebrated his 200th NHL contest by netting a power-play goal on Saturday, marking his sixth point with the man advantage this season. Tyler Toffoli, who is slated to play in his 500th career game on Monday, set up Iafallo's goal to push his point streak to three games (two goals, one assist).

OVERTIME

1. Los Angeles RW Adrian Kempe scored in the first encounter with Columbus as part of his eight-point stretch (five goals, three assists) over his last dozen games.

2. Blue Jackets C Boone Jenner, who scored in the first meeting with the Kings, has eight points (two goals, six assists) in his last 10 games.

3. Columbus has lost 11 of 15 contests (4-8-3) against Western Conference teams this season.

PREDICTION: Blue Jackets 3, Kings 1