Kane shifting into another gear once again for Oilers in playoffs

LOS ANGELES -- Evander Kane is built for the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

The Edmonton Oilers forward has a knack for elevating his game when it matters most and was right on schedule again Friday, with a goal and an assist to help spark the Edmonton Oilers to a 6-1 win against the Los Angeles Kings at Crypto.com Arena in Game 3 of the Western Conference First Round.

The victory gave the Oilers a 2-1 lead in the best-of-7 series, with Game 4 here Sunday (10:30 p.m. ET; MAX, truTV, TBS, BSW, SN1, SN, TVAS).

“Just the drama of it all, it just brings the best out of me,” Kane said. “It was a nice opportunity to play with two really good playmakers and I thought we generated some really good opportunities and did a nice job.”

In his third postseason with Edmonton, Kane is providing an physical presence to go along with his offensive contributions. He set up the Oilers' second goal in the first period, sending a pass from behind the goal line to forward Leon Draisaitl. In the second, he caught a piece of a point shot by defenseman Cody Ceci for his first goal of the playoffs.

“I think he just feeds off the intensity,” Draisaitl said of Kane. “He enjoys that part. He enjoys the physicality, the simplicity in the way of playoff goals and he’s obviously really, really good at it. I thought the first three games here, he’s been fantastic.”

Kane began the series on Edmonton's fourth line but was elevated to the second alongside Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Draisaitl in Game 3. The trio combined for eight points (three goals, five assists); Draisaitl had two goals and an assist and Nugent-Hopkins three assists.

“I was very happy with Evander, I thought he played well,” Oilers coach Kris Knoblauch said. “On the goal, he crashes the net, and it goes off him. Leon and him connected with a goal early in the first period. It’s nice when you see a player show up on the scoresheet, but it’s been three games now when he’s been contributing quite a bit physically on the forecheck.

"If I was playing against him, I wouldn’t feel comfortable being out on the ice against Evander, just because of how physical he is and he’s been helping us out a lot.”

Kane established himself as a playoff performer for Edmonton in 2022 when he had 13 goals and 17 points (four assists) in 15 games, helping the Oilers reach the Western Conference Final for the first time since 2006. Last season, the 32-year-old had five points (three goals, two assists) in 12 playoff games.

During the regular season, he had 44 points (24 goals, 20 assists) in 77 games.

“I thought he (Kane) was great; he makes a huge play on the 2-0 goal on the play to ‘Leo’ there, who comes through the neutral zone, which is always giving us headaches,” Edmonton captain Connor McDavid said. “We found a way to get through there with possession and he makes a great play to ‘Leo’ to get another big goal. He was around the net, he was tough to play against, he did everything that was asked of him.”

In his 15th NHL season after being selected by the Atlanta Thrashers with the No. 4 pick in the 2009 NHL Draft, Kane had no playoff experience through his first eight seasons with the Thrashers, Winnipeg Jets and Buffalo Sabres. It was not until 2018, following a trade to the San Jose Sharks, that he finally took part in the NHL postseason, and has 37 points (23 goals, 14 assists) in 59 playoff games.

“He was awesome (Friday),” Oilers defenseman Darnell Nurse said. “He controlled the game with his legs, he scored a goal getting to the net front to the dirty areas and had a fight. He was great for us and at this time of year, he always seems to shine.”

Heading into the playoffs, there were questions regarding Kane’s health. He confirmed a sports hernia had been affecting him throughout the regular season and needed time off to prepare before the start of the 2024 playoffs.

If Edmonton is to make a long postseason run, Kane likely will have to play a significant role. So far, he's doing his job.

“I think Evander’s game is suited for this type of style,” Oilers forward Zach Hyman said. "He plays physical, he goes to the hard areas, he scores, you can’t ask for more out of a guy like that. He’s a huge part of our team and that’s what playoff players are, they perform in the playoffs and he’s been doing it for years, not just tonight.”

Since signing him as a free agent on Jan. 27, 2022, the Oilers have gotten used to his postseason prowess. Edmonton was out of a playoff spot prior to his arrival, and finished the regular season 28-9-4 with him in the lineup. Kane then went on to put together the best playoff run of his NHL career.

“It’s a new year, it’s a new playoff season,” Kane said. “It means just as much to me as it does to everybody else on our team. It was a big win for our group, we’ve had some success against these guys in Game 3s and it was good to follow that up, and obviously we want to get greedy on Sunday and get another one.”