One: Line them up

All Kraken fans were happy to see the look on Yanni Gourde as he scored his first goal of the year in Saturday’s win over the New York Islanders. He raised both arms and pressed his lips emphatically: Okay, done. By the time linemates Brandon Tanev and Tye Kartye huddled in celebration, along with defensive pair Will Borgen and Josh Mahura, Yanni was smiling from ear to ear. So wonderful to see. Gourde’s line has been hot lately and, well, quite scorching on this homestand, with Tanev scoring four goals and adding two assists and Kartye chipping in a goal and two assists of his own. But let’s focus on Gourde’s goal: Kartye swings the puck to Tanev behind the net, and favorite number 13 skates out to send a sharp angle shot onto the net (repeat: puck on net). The shot deflected off Gourde’s upper body and past Islanders goalkeeper Ilya Sorokin.

It’s worth noting that the 6-foot-1, 174-pound Gourde sought space in the crease with 20-year-old NYI defenseman Isaiah George, who at 6-foot-1, 196 pounds has the physical advantage but clearly doesn’t the Gourde deception. Kraken colleague Alison Lukan pointed out in her very informative Post-Game Instant Analysis post after each Kraken game that after Saturday’s match, “the Yanni Gourde line continued to lead the way. In 8:57 of ice time, he, Brandon Tanev and Tye Kartye were plus-16 (!) in shot attempts and generated 83.5 percent of all shot quality when they were on the ice.

More of that against the elite Eastern Conference NYR Sunday night please (remember, the game starts at 6 p.m.). Additionally, Andre Burakovsky appears to be in sync with Matty Beniers and Jared McCann on the nominal first line, with captain Jordan Eberle out at least this weekend. Watch for more from that trio on Sunday.

Two: Back-to-Back: Grubi Return?

With a new match starting 29 hours after the puck was dropped and Saturday clinching the fourth straight win on this six-game homestand (the longest of the season), fans can expect Philipp Grubauer to get the start in goal. The Kraken need a two-goalie tandem as much as any other NHL club. Check an hour before the puck drops for any deviation from the suggested start for the affectionately known ‘Grubi’. Or is that “Gruuuuuubi”?

Three: Know the enemy: Rangers are 10-4-1 with an impressive road record

The Kraken will face an elite NYR team on Sunday that has compiled a 10-4-1 record to date but is just 2-2-0 in the Original Six franchise’s last four home games. The problem is that NYR is 5-1-0 on the road this season as the Rangers embark on a Pacific Division road trip that includes Vancouver, Calgary and Edmonton. Artemi Panarin leads the Rangers with 23 points in 15 games. Also among the NYR’s concerns: the New Yorkers’ power play success rate is a very respectable 25.6 percent, and the Rangers PK’s shutdown rate is 88 percent.