3 Game Essentials | Kraken at Flames | 6 p.m.

One: We’re Dunn Waiting

This had looked like an obvious time to get defenseman Vince Dunn into a preseason game, and he is indeed in tonight’s lineup. Dunn, who missed 19 of the final 21 games last season due to a neck issue after being hit from behind by Flames forward Martin Pospisil, had skated with the team in practice on Sunday morning and with no negatives arising from that will be in there alongside Will Borgen in the top defensive pairing.

So, Dunn will now have a chance to shake off any rust in an initial game and then fine-tune things against the Oilers in the preseason finale on Wednesday.

And he’ll do it tonight without the aforementioned Pospisil in Calgary’s lineup after the Flames forward missed his third consecutive practice session Sunday with a lower body injury. That, at least for now, eliminates potential fireworks from a return meetup between him and Dunn, allowing the Kraken defender to focus completely on hockey.

Two: Say, You Look Familiar

Kraken winger Andre Burakovsky practiced without his red no-contact jersey Sunday and will also be in tonight’s lineup. He’d slowed things down since playing his only preseason contest last Tuesday at Vancouver, doing what’s been described as “maintenance” of some type of physical issue.

The Kraken started camp looking to ignite some line chemistry between Burakovsky and Chandler Stephenson, who once played together as young forwards with the Washington Capitals.

But they’ve still yet to play together in a Kraken game, as Stephenson’s expected debut last Tuesday was pushed back one game until Friday – a contest Burakovsky skipped. Now, they’ll both be on a line together tonight to start connecting in game action.

Three: Last Chance Corral

We’re sticking with horse themes for this Saddledome game (the Flames’ old Stampede Corral home was just up the street) and with the Coachella Valley Firebirds opening their AHL training camp this week, this will be the last chance for several players to leave a Kraken impression. Veteran forward Max McCormick and defensive prospect Ville Ottavainen are both in tonight’s lineup and not expected to make the Kraken this go-around. So, you’d assume they’ll likely be shipped back out after this one.

Likewise, forward Eduard Sale may have already played his final Kraken preseason game Saturday in Edmonton. Not so with potential fourth-line candidate Jacob Melanson, who gets another game tonight after his solid overall performance against the Oilers. We’ll see after that whether his strong camp up to now has earned him an extended Kraken preseason stay beyond this trip.

The Kraken will also get another look tonight at additional fourth-line candidate players Ben Meyers, John Hayden and Ryan Winterton – who will form one of tonight’s forwards trios -- before making a call on sending one or more of them back. As they’re all vying for effectively the same spot (if any are even available), it makes little sense to keep all three much longer. So, as with Melanson, this is also a huge night for them.