Game Preview: Blue Jackets Wrap Up Homestand In Monday Afternoon Battle Against Panarin, Kings

The Columbus Blue Jackets are on pace to finish with an impressive 97 points.

The only problem with that? The final spot in an intense Eastern Conference playoff race is on pace to finish with 99. 

Columbus can up that point pace — and make it a six-game point streak — Monday afternoon when they face former Jacket forward Artemi Panarin and the Los Angeles Kings.

The early, 4:00 p.m. puck-drop is a result of this being the make-up of the Jan. 26 game that was postponed when central Ohio was blanketed with over a foot of snow.

Here are five things to know before the Blue Jackets look for a big two points that would put them just one point out of the second wild card spot:

• This is the first of a five-game road trip for Los Angeles, all in an eight-day span. A brutal March trip, but it's worth noting that the Kings have been a far better road team than home team this season, going 15-8-7 away from Los Angeles. ... Scoring goals has been a struggle for the Kings this season, as they're tied for 29th with 2.56 goals per game. That's not been made any easier with the loss of Kevin Fiala, who suffered a serious leg injury in the Olympics. ... Panarin has six points (one goal, five assists) in his first six games since being traded from the Rangers just before the Olympic break. ... No goaltender has been announced as of Monday morning, with veterans Darcy Kuemper and Anton Forsberg having split duties fairly evenly this season. 
   
• "We lost a point because we didn’t pay attention to the details," head coach Rick Bowness said regarding Saturday's 5-4 overtime loss to the Utah Mammoth. The Blue Jackets came from down two with less than seven minutes left but weren't able to secure a key second point, and Bowness pointed to several sloppy plays that ultimately put them in that position. Look for the Blue Jackets to play a cleaner, more detail-oriented game in this one.
   
• Mathieu Olivier has been as hot as he's been in a Blue Jackets sweater, scoring four goals in his last four games and piling up eight goals in his last 11 games. Since Jan. 28th, that ranks second in the entire NHL in goals scored, trailing only Leon Draisaitl, Filip Forsberg, and Cutter Gauthier. Monday will also be the 300th NHL game of Olivier's career.
   
• Forward Conor Garland registered one shot on goal and had three hits in his Blue Jackets debut in that game, skating a total of 16:40. He had a would-be assist taken off the board at 7:55 of the second period when a goal by Kent Johnson was erased on a successful Utah challenge for offsides. Overall, Garland looked good, but it'll likely take a few games before he finds rhythm with linemates Sean Monahan and Kent Johnson.
   
• Based on Sunday's practice and comments from Bowness, don't expect much in the way of lineup changes for this one. There's a chance that Dante Fabbro returns after missing the last two games with a lower-body injury. If he's in, Egor Zamula is likely out. No starting goaltender has been announced. Here are the complete lineup projections: