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KINGS (16-13-2) at BLUE JACKETS (20-5-4)
7 p.m. ET; FS-W, FS-O, NHL.TV

Kings team scope

Los Angeles Kings forward Marian Gaborik will play after he was a healthy scratch in a 1-0 loss at the Boston Bruins on Sunday. Gaborik has a goal and four points in nine games since returning from a broken foot and coach Darryl Sutter wants more from the 34-year-old, who has 387 goals in 942 NHL games. "Show some leadership. He's a veteran player on our team now," Sutter said. "[Gaborik] is a real caring guy and he tends to base his game on how much he scores. As you get older you have to have a more defined role and not just get away with that. So it's easy as a coach to say you've scored one goal in nine games; that makes you a 10-goal scorer. I'm perfectly happy if he's a 10-, 15-goal scorer, but he sure should do everything else and be a good role model for younger players." Forward Dustin Brown will miss his second straight game with an upper-body injury and will be replaced again by Devin Setoguchi. This is the fifth of nine consecutive road games for the Kings, who don't play at Staples Center until Dec. 31.

Blue Jackets team scope

The Columbus Blue Jackets can set a franchise record with their 10th straight win; they haven't lost since Nov. 23, when the Calgary Flames won 2-0 at Nationwide Arena. Columbus won nine in a row from March 18 to April 4, 2015. Forward Scott Hartnell is more concerned with defeating the Kings than setting the record. "We're worried about two points," he said. "We know we have a streak going on. We want to keep that going throughout the Christmas break and have a few days off. This is a tough team we're playing who's desperate for points." Backup goaltender Curtis McElhinney will make his first start since a 3-2 shootout win at the Arizona Coyotes on Dec. 3. Sergei Bobrovsky, who leads the NHL with 19 wins, has started the past seven games. Bobrovsky is 8-0-0 with a 1.50 goals-against average and a .941 save percentage during the streak. Columbus starts a four-game homestand after wins at the Edmonton Oilers, Calgary Flames and Vancouver Canucks, and coach John Tortorella is concerned with how the players handle the first game following the trip to Western Canada. "There's certainly an adjustment you have coming back," he said. "We can't have any excuses as a team. [Los Angeles] has been on the road a little bit. The team that's most ready to play and not looking to make any type of excuses will win the hockey game." Hartnell said the Blue Jackets must be prepared from the start. "We have to make sure we're playing hard tonight, especially in front of [McElhinney]," he said. "He hasn't played in a while. We want to have a solid effort for him."

Kings projected lineup
Blue Jackets projected lineup
Status report

Andreoff, who played Sunday when Gaborik was scratched, stays in the lineup in place of Clifford. Gravel replaces Gilbert. There is no word when Brown will return. ... McElhinney will make his fourth start in the Blue Jackets' 30th game.

Who's hot

Carter has nine goals and four assists in his past 14 games. The Kings have killed 17 straight penalties; the Blue Jackets have the top power play in the NHL (27.7 percent). … Columbus is 10-0-1 in its past 11 games; it's the third-longest point streak in Blue Jackets history. They're 10-1-1 in their past 12 games at Nationwide Arena. Atkinson has four goals and six assists during a six-game point streak and has 23 points (eight goals, 15 assists) in his past 17 games. Saad has seven goals and 11 points in his past 11 games, including three goals in the past two games.