Kings (16-6-4) at Kraken (10-14-7) | 7 p.m.

One: Keep Those Lines Rolling
When hockey coaches talk about “rolling the lines,” it means all the forward lines are performing, earning their share of ice time, and building good shift after good shift. That good-shift part can be overlooked and undervalued by a casual observer. Players like Yanni Gourde or Jordan Eberle or pretty much any Kraken player will refer to setting up the next line for success (offensive faceoff, holding off the opponents’ best line to put more beatable foes on the ice, a big hit that energizes a bench, rattling a goaltender with scoring chances or net-front presence or both.

More of that is needed Saturday and this week, with division foe LA on the schedule card twice in five days with another elite Western Conference team, Dallas, squeezed in between. With Friday’s trade for Tomas Tatar, it will be intriguing to see how the SEA coaching staff keeps the momentum of this homestand in place with the makeup of the forward lines.

Thursday’s win and Tuesday’s before it are textbook examples of rolling the lines. The fourth line is scoring goals (which in itself takes pressure off the top-six forwards) and stringing together one hard-nosed shift after another. The Yanni Gourde line with Oliver Bjorkstrand and Eeli Tolvanen has been consistent all season, from scoring goals to facing top lines for opponents.

Tolvanen’s goal against Chicago Thursday was a thing of beauty for Kraken fans looking for a reason to think playoffs (trading for Tomas Tatar Friday is another). It featured a quick-release, good-decision pass to Gourde from Oliver Bjorkstrand (lots of those from him, along with a wicked shot too). Then Gourde draws defenders, using open space to feign a close-in shot, then finding Tolvanen on the other side of the crease for the goal.

Two: Defense on the Offensive
Will Borgen racked up two assists Thursday, repeating his two-assist night notched Tuesday. He now has five assists in his last three games. Ryker Evans matched Borgen’s two assists against Chicago to go along with his first NHL point and assist Tuesday. Vince Dunn has 20 assists already (Borgen has 11) and Adam Larsson notched his seventh assist Thursday. Jamie Oleksiak scored a big goal earlier in the homestand to help Seattle earn a standings point against Tampa Bay. This is Dave Hakstol’s system at work and it’s fun to watch.

Three: Know the Foe: Los Angeles on Three-Game Losing Streak
Don’t be fooled by the Kings’ three-game slide into the loss column. They are clearly a squad to beat for one of the three Pacific Division automatic bids to the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Losing their last three games will only motivate them more. LA’s top two lines are formidable and Pierre-Luc Dubois (28 and 27 goals in the last two seasons) is the third-line center, which tells all you need to know and fret about seemingly ageless first-line center Anze Kopitar and second-liner Phillip Danault. Kopitar and linemate Adrian Kempe are co-leaders in points with 26, same for second-liner Kevin Fiala. First-line wing Quinton Byfield (looking more and more like the player expected when drafted No. 2 overall in 2020) and second-line forward Trevor Moore (team leader in goals with 13, three short of his career-high) are knotted at 22. Scary, but should be noted stalwart defenseman Vladislav Gavrikov is out week-to-week with a lower-body injury.