3 Game Essentials | Kraken vs. Vancouver | Oct. 23

One:

Captain Mark Giordano said after Tuesday's game that maybe the Kraken skaters care too much in some ways, leading to not wanting to be the guy whose actions lead to a second goal.
Easy to say, but scoring first Saturday and making it a regular habit during the four-game homestand can transform October. What to watch: Players challenging Canucks players in puck battles.

Two:

With two days of productive practices and the welcome return of forward Calle Jarnkrok, coach Dave Hakstol and his coaching staff felt comfortable changing up lines and defensive pairings. Yanni Gourde (second game Saturday) will center Jaden Schwartz and Jarnkrok (debut game) and they looked sharp in Friday's practice. Alex Wennberg now has Jared McCann on his left wing and Jordan Eberle on the right (McCann and Eberle worked together four games as center and wing).
Morgan Geekie was back in a white full-contact jersey Friday after a day of no-contact red after taking a hard check in Jersey. He will be working with Joonas Donskoi and Brandon Tanev (back on the left wing). These are three lines that will be looking to knit together good shifts and early pressure with what will be Seattle-worthy noise and support from the home-opener crowd.

Three:

Hakstol said the two days of practice was a needed opportunity to "clean up" the Kraken's "transition game from defense to offense and offense to defense." It typically starts with the defensemen carrying or passing the puck out of the defensive end (the latter connecting to a forward/teammate who then moves the puck toward the offensive zone. The pairings Hakstol and assistant Jay Leach (who oversees the D-men and penalty) look to be different too: Jamie Oleksiak and Giordano; Vince Dunn and Carson Soucy; and Adam Larsson and Jeremy Lauzon. Fans can check out how successfully those defenders are moving the puck out of the defensive end with possession of the puck into the neutral zone (between blue lines).