Pittsburgh played its most complete, four-line effort of the season against a stingy defensive team in Los Angeles

Kevin Hayes, Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Cody Glass and Anthony Beauvillier scored for the Penguins. Alex Nedeljkovic, fresh off making history by becoming the first goalie in NHL history to score a goal and record an assist in the same game on Friday in Buffalo, stopped 25 of 26 shots to earn the victory.

The Penguins head west to face the Los Angeles Kings in a late-night showdown at Crypto.com Arena. Welcome back to NHL Predictions here on Last Word on Hockey!

Game time is 10:30 p.m. ET from Crypto.com Arena in downtown Los Angeles and you can watch it on ESPN+ (packages start at $11.99/month). Pittsburgh Penguins (19-21-8, in the Metropolitan Division) last played on Saturday night and fell to the NHL-leading Washington Capitols by a 4-1 score.

The Pittsburgh Penguins defeated the Los Angeles Kings 5-1 on Monday night, the Kings' first home day since the wildfires.

One of my first conversations with Kevin Hayes at training camp this season was about his support for first responders.

The circumstances were particularly meaningful for Pittsburgh forward Blake Lizotte, who started his NHL career with the Kings and had 106 points (37 goals, 69 assists) in 320 games for them. This was his first game at Crypto.com Arena as a visitor, but the LAFD hat he wore after the morning skate reflected the larger circumstances.

The Los Angeles Kings honored firefighters and first responders in the first game back in their downtown arena since the catastrophic wildfires that devastated large parts of Los Angeles.

The Lakers delivered their best victory of the season with a rout of the defending NBA champion Boston Celtics.

James Harrison has a pointed critique of Pittsburgh Steelers coach Mike Tomlin. Another former Steelers linebacker is in the hunt for a significant coaching promotion. The Penguins try to get right in Seattle on Saturday.

BOTTOM LINE: The Columbus Blue Jackets, on a four-game home winning streak, host the Los Angeles Kings. Columbus has a 23-19-7 record overall and a 16-5-3 record on its home ice. The Blue Jackets have a 3-3-6 record in games decided by a goal.