3 Game Essentials | Oilers vs Kraken | 7 p.m.

One: Looking for continued “progress” in a “work-in-progress” roster

This Kraken lineup against the Oilers should be the closest thing yet to an opening day version, with many of the envisioned forward lines and defensive pairings taking on the strongest the Oilers have to offer.

Edmonton is sending both Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl to this one along with their top two envisioned lines.

So, it will be interesting to see who the Kraken have on their forward trios and how they’re arranged. We already pretty much know how the defensive pairings will go, meaning you’d expect Vince Dunn and Adam Larsson to be out there together in preseason for the first time in a resumption of the team’s top duo of the past two campaigns.

Kraken head coach Dan Bylsma mentioned more than once after Tuesday’s practice that the team is by no means a finished product. The Kraken reduced their roster with nine more cuts Tuesday, limiting the competition between remaining regular season hopefuls to likely John Hayden and Ryan Winterton on the forwards side and Josh Mahura and Cale Fleury on defense for a reservist spot or any new openings that materialize.

But Bylsma suggested that regardless of who gets cut next, he expects to continue tinkering with the team throughout the season until the recipe gets perfected.

“We’re not there yet,” Bylsma said. “We’re not there with everything we’re doing, how we’re doing it. Execution-wise and mentality-wise, we’re not there yet. But as I said, you see signs of it progressing forward and we’re going to stay on it.”

Two: Ironing out the crease

This will be the final chance for goalie Philipp Grubauer to build momentum ahead of the regular season, coming off a pair of outings in which he allowed nine goals on 55 combined shots spread over five periods.

Grubauer looked solid for much of his first full-game start in Edmonton last Saturday, leading 4-2 late in the second period only to wind up losing 5-4. Some struggles by Kraken players in front of him adjusting to newer systems of play didn’t help – especially in a preseason-opening 6-1 loss to Calgary. Nonetheless, seeing the Oilers a second time around in only four days presents an opportunity for some more positive netminding results – including Grubauer familiarizing himself more with tendencies of teammates handling pucks and the shooting lanes they leave him to view incoming shots -- before the games start to count for real.

Three: Added “power” for the power play

The Kraken finally had power play progress in the third period of Monday’s game in Calgary, with Shane Wright converting on a tying goal. Up to that point, the team was 0-for-5 on the night – including not scoring on some 5-on-3 and 4-on-3 chances with ample room to operate – and only 1-for-21 on the preseason.

In fact, the entire third period could serve as a template for what the Kraken hope to do more of with the puck.

“I thought that was probably our best period in the exhibition (season) so far,” Kraken head coach Dan Bylsma said. “Just the execution -- playing north and quick -- and the presence in the offensive zone.”

Kraken defenseman Vince Dunn – who hadn’t played this preseason prior to the Calgary game – was a key part of the power play goal and seemed to gain confidence and poise as Monday’s contest progressed. Dunn also came away from the game with no lingering physical issues in his first action since missing 19 of last season’s final 21 contests after taking an illegal blow from behind.

“I think his first or second shift he went back for a puck and took a hit,” Bylsma said. “So, we now know he can take a hit and make a play.”