3 Game Essentials | Kraken at Vegas | Nov. 9

One: Play as five-man unit in the defensive zone

Returning to Vegas for the second and final time of the regular season, Seattle needs to communicate and find ways to (1) block passes and/or disrupt the passer sending the puck to prime shooting spots in front of the goal crease, (2) locate and tell the goalie where the puck and opponent is when that disc goes behind the net and (3) put a body on opponents skating toward the goal to receive and shoot a puck. Fans can expect the Kraken's efforts in the D-zone to be more in sync and Vegas-vexing Tuesday night.

Two: Kraken in Focus

The Seattle power play stats are not anywhere in the neighborhood of where Hakstol and his assistant coaches want the two man-advantage units to live. It ranks 32nd in the league going into Tuesday with 7.9 percent conversion rate (three goals in 38 opportunities). Add in two goals scored seconds after the power play ends and the stat increases to 13 percent or 27th in the league. Forward Jared McCann is a proven shooter and scorer on the power play, but is out of the lineup per COVID protocol until at least Thursday's start of a six-game home stand against Anaheim. All eyes on Morgan Geekie, Yanni Gourde and the two power play quarterbacks, Vince Dunn and Mark Giordano.

Three: Know the Foe

Vegas enters Tuesday's rematch ranking 31st in power play percentage (2 for 24 or 8.3 percent) but the Golden Knights were a playoff team that finished 22nd in the category last regular season. Vegas is 6-6-0 with a minus-5 goal differential and will play their third game in four nights; they beat Montreal on the road Saturday, 5-2, then stopped in Detroit, losing 5-2 Sunday. Robin Lehner will be in goal for VGK and a new trade acquisition (Jack Eichel) is in town for a bit of public outreach before undergoing neck surgery. Top-line wing Max Pacioretty, who played a key role in the Oct. 12 opener between these two teams (Seattle coming back from 3-0 only to fall on what many consider a questionable goal), is on injured reserve until late November.