LOS ANGELES — The Bruins lost their third straight game in California on Saturday, dropping a 2-1 decision to the Kings at Staples Center.

The Bruins fly back East with zero points on the trip following losses to Anaheim and San Jose, even though they played their best game of the week against the powerful Kings. But the Kings grabbed a 2-0 lead and rode the netminding of Jonathan Quick.

The Kings doubled their lead at 2:40 of the second. Anze Kopitar protected the puck down low against Noel Acciari, then passed it up to Alec Martinez at the right point. After playing give-and-go with Jake Muzzin, Martinez buzzed a one-timer through a Kopitar screen that Tuukka Rask never saw.

Acciari and the Bruins responded later in the second. Acciari battled Kopitar for the puck at the other end. Because of Acciari’s heavy stick, Kopitar coughed up the puck to Tyler Randell. The fourth-line wing snapped the puck past Quick at 5:46 to make it a 2-1 game.

The Bruins started with better legs than they did a night earlier against the Ducks. But after the Kings found their rhythm, they dictated the pace of the play. The Kings won most of the wall battles. They peppered Rask with flurries of pucks. At 19:09, they finally solved Rask.

The play started when Torey Krug tried to track down a rim in the corner. Dustin Brown closed on Krug with a heavy forecheck. Krug hurried to get rid of the puck up the left-side wall to Randell. But Randell couldn’t handle Krug’s pass. Vincent Lecavalier recovered the puck and got it to Luke Schenn at the right point, while Tanner Pearson set up in the high slot. Pearson tipped Schenn’s shot past Rask to give the Kings a 1-0 lead.

The Bruins came within inches of scoring first at 15:30. Brad Marchand shot at a wide-open net. But Quick pushed to his right and punted out Marchand’s shot with a sharp toe save.

At 17:01, Adam McQuaid engaged Dwight King after the LA forward bowled over Krug. The two tangled in a lengthy and punch-filled fight that ended with both scrappers still on their skates.

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With each sunny day that passes in Southern California, Milan Lucic draws closer to July 1, a date he’s never reached as an unrestricted free agent.

Its arrival and its implications are in Lucic’s thoughts.

“At the end of the day, you are human. It’s in the back of your mind thinking about it,’’ said the ex-Bruin. “But your main focus has to be on the hockey part, winning hockey games, and playing at your best. There’s the business aspect to it. As it gets closer to July 1, there’s times when you think about it more than you have, let’s say, when it’s September.’’

For Lucic, the fit with the Kings has been as perfect as the No. 17 jersey he wears in Los Angeles and once pulled over his musclebound shoulders in Boston. Of late, he’s been skating on the No. 1 line with Kopitar and fellow ex-Bruin Kris Versteeg.

Lucic brought an eight-game scoring streak (3-7—10) into Saturday’s game against his former team at Staples Center. He’s recorded 17 goals and 29 assists in 69 games, serving as the robust left wing the Kings projected would be worth the bounty they paid (Martin Jones, Colin Miller, and a 2015 first-round pick). So far, the trade has worked out for both sides. It will continue to serve the Kings if Lucic can help them make a run in the playoffs and re-sign before July 1.

The Kings entered Saturday’s game as the top dogs in the Pacific Division. But the Ducks, once out of the top eight, have closed to within 4 points. For Lucic, Anaheim’s become the team to hate, much like Montreal was his primary rival for the eight previous seasons.

“When you’re out east, you don’t really appreciate the rivalry between the Ducks and the Kings, what it means to the fans here, and what it is,’’ Lucic said. “It’s a lot rowdier and crazier and more intense than people from the outside think. There’s definitely a lot of that Habs-Bruins feel to it when we play each other.’’

Lucic has become an adopted Californian, from making a home in nearby Manhattan Beach to sharing his distaste for the perpetual traffic — the 405 makes Route 128 look deserted — that chokes the area. He likes it here. The Kings like Lucic on the left side.

But the 27-year-old is thinking about his family and long-term security as he weighs his upcoming decision. If he is to stay with the Kings, it will be for less years and salary than he could land on the free market. Via agent Gerry Johansson, Lucic is negotiating with one team that is already tight against the cap and has other issues to address, such as the pending extension due to Tyler Toffoli after 2016-17.

If Lucic waits for a little more than three months, his list of pursuers will expand significantly, most likely including his hometown Canucks. Simply via supply and demand, Lucic’s patience will manifest in his savings account.

The question that Lucic has to answer, though, is whether more term and money elsewhere is worth leaving the Kings, LA, and a winning culture.

The Kings are set up for multiple Stanley Cup chases because of their experience, coaching, and star power in Kopitar, Muzzin, Quick, Jeff Carter, and Drew Doughty. Vancouver, for example, is nowhere near as close to contending for the Cup as LA.

“Coming to this team, I knew it was a great opportunity to have a chance to play on a championship team again,’’ Lucic said. “Here we are on March 19 and it’s even more so now of that feeling than when I got traded here. You really want to make the most of the opportunity you have. It’s a great group and a fun group to be a part of. I think that’s why my main focus is on that versus the business part.’’

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Jimmy Hayes returned to the lineup against the Kings. Hayes was a healthy scratch against Anaheim, the third time he took a seat in the press box this season.

Hayes returned to the third line with Matt Beleskey and Ryan Spooner.

“This is the time of year where you’re looking for guys to do the job you want them to do,’’ said coach Claude Julien before Saturday’s game. “He had zeroes across the board in the last 10 games or so, and hadn’t done much for quite a while. We need a little bit more out of him. It starts with him and others around. We could use more from a few more players as well. We’re at the stage where you have to earn your spot on the team. If not, there’s other people ready to go in just like Randell.’’

Hayes replaced Brett Connolly, who was a healthy scratch for the fourth time. Joe Morrow and Zach Trotman were the other healthy scratches.

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Fluto Shinzawa can be reached at fshinzawa@globe.com. Follow him on Twitter @GlobeFluto.