BLOG: Kane & Perry proving a challenge for opponents

EDMONTON, AB – Sometimes when the puck’s not going in, you just need that combination of grit and skill to help drive your team forward.

In recent games, Corey Perry and Evander Kane have been that solution for the Edmonton Oilers alongside the formidable Leon Draisaitl.

“I think those guys can bring an emotional element to the game; bring a physicality to the game and kind of drag our guys into the fight every now and then, which is a great thing,” Oilers captain Connor McDavid said. “You're not going to have it every night and sometimes, you need that emotional stuff to get yourself going.

“Those are two of our very best at doing that – playing physical and playing a hard game – and I thought they've both been good.”

Not a lot worked for the Blue & Orange during Saturday’s 4-0 shutout to the Los Angeles Kings, but the line of Corey Perry, Leon Draisaitl and Evander Kane was certainly one of the positive takeaways for the Oilers – most notably the contributions of its wingers – as the unit drove Edmonton's offence in search of a comeback at Crypto.com Arena.

To start Edmonton’s most recent back-to-back set in California, Knoblauch elected to deploy the two physical and skilled forwards on the flanks of one of the League’s most effective centres in Draisaitl, who brings his own tenacity, size and ability to the second-line combination as a 6-foot-2, 210-pound pivot who can play physical while also being offensively-gifted as a former Hart, Ted Lindsay and Art Ross Trophy winner.

But still, Kane and Perry have combined over their careers to score 441 NHL goals, along with Perry picking up the Hart and Rocket Richard trophies in 2011, so there’s something to be said about the offensive acumen that each player possesses with the hard-to-play-against style of hockey that they each bring to the table on one single line.

The line's assembly returned immediate dividends when Kane notched his eighth-career hat trick – his fifth in 140 career games with the Oilers – in Friday's 5-3 win at the Honda Center over the Anaheim Ducks.

Perry posted his first point in Blue & Orange against his former team of 14 seasons with an assist on Kane's first goal, and while they or any other Oilers line  wasn't able to get on the scoresheet on Saturday, the trio continued their strong play in a losing effort.

As per Natural Stat Trick, Perry and Kane out-chanced their opponents 15-9 when on the ice together against LA on Saturday, while Edmonton's second line as a whole owned a 61.90 CF% and led 8-5 in scoring chances over a team-high 9:48 of ice time at even strength.

Three of those scoring chances were of the high-danger variety, with their best coming off a back-door feed from Draisaitl to Perry near the midway mark of the middle frame. The 38-year-old couldn't corral the German's pass before his ensuing shot was saved by David Rittich, who was then fortunate enough to have Kane's ensuing rebound hit his mid-section on his way to making 26 saves for the shutout.

Both Kane and Perry are net-front forwards, which makes for a mess around the crease for opponents' defencemen like their notable scoring chance.

"They're both playing to their strengths right now, and they're so good down low at protecting the puck and being able to make those little slip passes into the slot to create some scoring chances," Head Coach Kris Knoblauch said. "They're both hungry going to the net, and they're playing with a pretty good centre who will help them along the way."

With more nights like Saturday, the two forwards feel they have a solid foundation to build on alongside another strong-and-skilled option in Draisaitl to continue causing panic for their opponents.

"I think there's a little more room for one another when two guys are at the net because it can create some confusion," Kane said. "You saw last game [Perry] kind of had one back door open, and that probably doesn't happen if there's only one guy. We had two guys, so he likes to play a certain style that I think works well with all three of us."