From the matchup to the style of play, Saturday was a playoff teaser for a city that is, in all likelihood, about to dip its toe in.

In a tight, low-scoring game that bore little resemblance to the last time the teams met, the Los Angeles Kings beat the Kraken 3-1 on Saturday night at Climate Pledge Arena.

Seattle goaltender Martin Jones made back-to-back starts, a rare occurrence since mid-January. He made 16 saves and was far less busy than he was in a 9-8 overtime win in Los Angeles on Nov. 29.

“It was a tight game. Both teams checked really well,” Jones said. “It’s that time of year, teams are ramping up for the playoffs and there’s just not a lot of room out there.

“Neither team was really able to break free and make a lot of plays offensively.” 

After L.A. went up 2-0 in the third period, a power-play goal got the Kraken back within one. The Kings’ Blake Lizotte didn’t agree with the tripping call leveled against him. But his stick was in Jared McCann’s skates when the Kraken goals leader got twisted up and fell, and that was compelling enough for the official’s arm to shoot up.

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Daniel Sprong’s initial shot landed in the crease. Kings defenseman Vladislav Gavrikov dived after the puck and tried to push it up the middle, but got it shoved right back past him and into the net by Seattle’s Oliver Bjorkstrand.

“It gave us a big boost,” Kraken defenseman Will Borgen said. “I thought we got down to their end more after that.”

The Kraken did push for the equalizer, but fell to the Kings for the first time in four meetings this season.

The shots were even at six after the first. The biggest cheers from the home crowd were for Borgen’s punishing hit near the penalty boxes and a glove snag from Jones.

Borgen was in a three-way tie for second among Kraken (41-26-8) players with three hits. Adam Larsson recorded seven.

The shot count was still even at 14 after the second, when the Kings kept all of the Kraken’s looks to the outside.

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“In the first two periods, we didn’t win enough of those first pucks to give ourselves an offensive opportunity in the O-zone,” Kraken coach Dave Hakstol said. “When we did, we weren’t able to get through their goaltender’s (sight lines) enough.”

Eeli Tolvanen had two of the better Seattle chances before Bjorkstrand scored. He went high and wide on an early power play and had a clean breakaway up the middle with about two minutes gone in the third period.

On the first Kings goal more than halfway through the game, Jones slid forward, square to shooter Alex Iafallo. But the puck went off McCann and straight to L.A.’s Sean Durzi at the side of the net. He had a wide-open look.

“There’s a bounce of a puck on that play, but you always look at what you can do a little bit better,” Hakstol said. “You can close a little bit quicker, you can be in a little bit better spot.”

About five minutes into the third, the Kings’ Carl Grundstrom picked the pocket of Kraken winger Brandon Tanev, who was playing in his 400th career game. Grundstrom turned it around quickly and put a shot in off the cross bar to make it 2-0.

Kevin Fiala contributed an empty netter. Pheonix Copley made 25 saves for Los Angeles.

“They kind of sit back and play good defensively,” Bjorkstrand said. “It’s hard to get chances, so you’ve really gotta work hard for your shots.”

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