Kraken (9-8-1) vs. Rangers (10-4-1) | 18:00

One: Line them up

All Kraken fans were happy to see the appearance of Yanni Gourdes 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 together in an emphatic, okay, got it done. As linemates Brandon Tanev and Tye Kartye enjoyed themselves with the defensive pairing of Will Borgen and Josh Mahura, Yanni was smiling from ear to ear. So amazing to see. Gourde’s streak has been hot lately and, well, pretty much on fire on this home court, with Tanev scoring four goals and adding two assists and Kartye getting a goal and two assists himself. But let’s focus on Gourde’s goal: Kartye swings the puck to Tanev behind the net, and fan-favorite No. 13 skates out to send a sharp angled shot on net (repeat: puck on net). The shot ricocheted off Gourde’s upper body and past Islanders goaltender Ilya Sorokin.

It’s worth noting that the 5-foot-9, 174-pound Gourde was outmuscled for room in the crease with 20-year-old NYI defenseman Isaiah George, who at 6-foot-1 and 196 pounds has the physical advantage, but definitely not the Gourde scam. Kraken colleague Alison Lukan pointed out in her very informative Post-Game Instant Analysis post after every Kraken game after Saturday’s game “The Yanni Gourde line continued to lead the way. In 8:57 of ice time, he, Brandon Tanev and Tye Kartye plus-16 (!) in shot attempts and generated 83.5 percent of all shot quality when on the ice.

More of that against elite Eastern Conference NYR on Sunday night, please (don’t forget the game kicks off at 6 p.m.). Plus, Andre Burakovsky looks in sync with Matty Beniers and Jared McCann on the nominal first line, with captain Jordan Eberle out for at least the weekend. Look for more from that trio on Sunday.

Two: Back-to-Back: Grubi Return?

With another game starting 29 hours after the puck was dropped on Saturday’s fourth straight win on this six-game homestand (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. Come back an hour before the puck drops for any deviation from the suggested start for the affectionately known “Grubi”. Or is it “Gruuuuuubi”?

Three: Know the enemy: The Rangers are 10-4-1 with a scary road record

The Kraken will face an elite NYR team on Sunday that has compiled a 10-4-1 record to date but has gone just 2-2-0 in the last four home games of the Original Six series. 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 concerns: The New Yorkers’ powerplay success rate is a very respectable 25.6 percent and the Rangers’ PK shutout rate is 88 percent.