Time: 10:30 p.m. ET
Venue: Crypto.com Arena, Los Angeles, CA
Where to watch: Bally Sports West, Bally Sports Ohio
Opening Odds at USA Sportsbooks
DraftKings: Check back later
BetMGM: Check back later
Caesars: Check back later
Season record
Blue Jackets: 35-33-6
Kings: 39-27-10
Ben Burns has reeled off a strong 29-14-0 run over the last month in the NHL. After an action-packed month of March, April is bound to be just as crazy with the playoff push underway. Do you have the right picks to lead you to glory and get you ready for what should be an exciting push to the end? Catch Ben's plays available right now at the Shop Picks page, where you can find all of the Best Bets from our champion sports handicappers.
Blue Jackets - Kings preview and analysis
The Los Angeles Kings do not play one playoff team in their final stretch this regular season, which should mean they will make the playoffs in some capacity. And yet of course they’ll find a way to miss out because things are weird in hockeytown this time of year.
The Kings will try and get back to form and increase their lead on third place in the Pacific Division when they host the Columbus Blue Jackets on Saturday at Crypto.com Arena, or if you have some sense in yourself, just call it Staples Center and try to get any endorsement money back to the Staples company.
Los Angeles enters Saturday with a one-point lead on the Vegas Golden Knights for third place in the Pacific Division, and Vegas has a game in hand while they play the Edmonton Oilers on Saturday. Pending on that outcome, this game might have more to play for than figured.
And God help the Kings considering they need any sort of rebound effort after getting shellacked by the Colorado Avalanche on Wednesday by the tune of 9-3. The touchdown was good, so was the extra point, and Colorado added a safety to that, as well.
Cal Petersen and Jonathan Quick were supposedly in the net for that game but did nothing to indicate that they actually suited up and stopped pucks. If they’re still having nightmares of Nathan MacKinnon and Cale Makar putting on a passing clinic, maybe the Blue Jackets have a chance.
"We didn't have anything at the beginning of the night," Los Angeles coach Todd McLellan said. "We fell behind three and you can't play that way against this team. We found some legs in the second, but then we made a lot of mistakes and it ended up in the back of the net. There's no other way of painting it."
And then what happened?
"Definitely not the performance you want tonight, especially at this time of year," Kings captain Anze Kopitar said. "But we've got to look at this one and correct stuff and make sure this is not going to repeat, because it is crunch time for our team."
But would anyone really be shocked if that were the case that the Kings wouldn’t make it to the playoffs? I get it there’s a discrepancy with the Avalanche and there are no surefire reasons to believe they could do it again, but man, that was bad.
The Blue Jackets are coming off a 5-1 win over the Montreal Canadiens after Jack Roslovic scored twice. Columbus won’t be making the playoffs, but they can certainly play spoiler and will have as much competitive wherewithal to do that.
"When it's going it's going," Roslovic said. "You take moments like this and try to hold onto them."
Prediction
Would it just be right if the Blue Jackets played spoiler and put a wrench in the Kings’ plan? I love their competitiveness and the hard way they play. I have a sense they’ll give the Kings a run for the physicality department and if they get under their skin and turn those loose pucks into chances the other way, it might be a long night in L.A. Blue Jackets win 3-2
Betting trends
Blue Jackets are 13-27 when playing with two days rest.
Blue Jackets are 46-53 the past three seasons after playing a home game.
Kings are 24-15 after losing by three goals or more their last game.
Projected lines
Blue Jackets:
Gustav Nyquist -- Jack Roslovic -- Patrik Laine
Jakub Voracek -- Cole Sillinger -- Emil Bemstrom
Kent Johnson -- Justin Danforth -- Oliver Bjorkstrand
Eric Robinson -- Brendan Gaunce -- Carson Meyer
Zach Werenski -- Andrew Peeke
Vladislav Gavrikov -- Adam Boqvist
Jake Bean -- Nick Blankenburg
Elvis Merzlikins
Kings:
Arthur Kaliyev -- Anze Kopitar -- Adrian Kempe
Trevor Moore -- Phillip Danault -- Viktor Arvidsson
Alex Iafallo -- Blake Lizotte -- Dustin Brown
Gabriel Vilardi -- Quinton Byfield -- Rasmus Kupari
Matt Roy -- Sean Durzi
Alexander Edler -- Troy Stecher
Olli Maatta -- Jordan Spence
Jonathan Quick
Statistical leaders
Blue Jackets:
Points: Patrik Laine -- 56
Goals: Patrik Laine -- 26
Assists: Jakub Voracek -- 49
Goalie: Elvis Merzlikins -- 25-19-2, 3.35 GAA, .904 SV%
Kings:
Points: Anze Kopitar -- 62
Goals: Adrian Kempe -- 33
Assists: Anze Kopitar -- 44
Goalie: Jonathan Quick -- 18-13-9, 3.35 GAA, .904 SV%
Don't miss our champion handicappers' free picks and expert hockey picks today. And if you enjoyed this Columbus Blue Jackets - Los Angeles Kings prediction, be sure to drop by every day for our daily NHL projections and previews.