3 Game Essentials | Kraken 0-0-0 at Golden Knights 0-0-0 | 8:14 p.m.

Kraken at Vegas | 8:14 p.m., ESPN, ESPN+ 93.3 FM KJR

One: Exit Meetings Fuel New Season

Any number of Kraken players, especially veterans, have referenced the Kraken will not be underestimated by NHL opponents this season. Those players, such as alternate captain Adam Larsson for one, are not fazed. Same for GM and Hockey Hall of Fame player Ron Francis.

“The biggest thing for me were the exit meetings last year,” said Francis over the weekend when meeting the media for a state-of-the-Kraken session on roster cutdown day. “We lose a tough game seven. Our guys weren't satisfied with going two rounds in the playoffs. They went home [over the summer] and they worked hard. They came to camp in shape.”

Those motivated returning veteran players include two forward lines (McCann-Beniers-Eberle and Tolvanen-Gourde-Bjorkstrand) ready to pick up where they left off last May. An additional line of veterans, Alex Wennberg centering Jaden Schwartz and Andre Burakovsky (he was the leading scorer when he was sidelined with a groin injury for the second half of last season) can hardly be called the third line with Burakovsky’s upside as a playmaker and the underrated efforts of Schwartz to crash the net and disrupt in all zones. Both of Wennberg’s wings, by the way, are Stanley Cup winners who scored clutch goals (game-winners and momentum changers among them) to fuel those championships.

Two: Getting It ‘Dunn’

Breakout star Vince Dunn missed games and full practices during the now-completed training camp. But coach Dave Hakstol pointed out in media conferences that Dunn had been skating daily and progressing, though not in game action since early camp.

“We have 22 guys [the current roster count] who came through practice,” said Hakstol when asked about Dunn’s status before the team plane departed for Vegas Monday afternoon. “Dunner’s practice was good today. But he hasn’t played a game in a while. We’ll see where he is on Tuesday and take every precaution to put him in a good spot.”

Three: Know the Foe. Strength of Early Schedule

Dave Hakstol likes to break down the long NHL regular season into five-game segments to assess how his squad is trending. The first two segments of the pending 2023-24 are, to use the technical term, doozies. Seattle starts with defending Stanley Cup champion Vegas raising the title banner in their building. Vegas has been scoring at a high rate throughout the preseason, signaling all offensive systems go for the likes of Jack Eichel (likely to play even more relaxed and productive after living up to expectations) and undeservedly under-the-radar forward Jonathan Marchessault.

After Vegas, the road trip continues with Nashville and St. Louis, teams looking to get back into playoff position. Then a formidable homestand facing three 2023 playoff squads: Colorado, Carolina, and, the New York Rangers. The 10-game month finishes with a four-game road trip featuring three 2023 Eastern Conference playoff qualifiers: Carolina (just a week later), Tampa Bay, and Eastern Conference champion Florida. That’s seven playoff teams in 10 dates, plus seven road games. Proving the 2022-23 was no fluke starts early.