2) Evander Kane
Now that’s more like it – this is the version of Evander Kane people were expecting to see this season. The one who two season’s ago excelled after arriving in Edmonton, as he had a career-high +25 plus/minus rating and earned a contract extension.
This season had started poorly for Kane, as he produced just one point through five games, had a team-worst -6 plus/minus rating and just overall looked like a shadow of his former self. He did record two points in the 7-4 loss to the Wild, but it wasn’t until Sunday, when he finally reminded fans what he’s all about.
How do you want to measure the 32-year-old’s impact? How about in the literal sense, as he led all Oilers with six hits and was just generally an intimidating physical presence versus the Flames.
Kane also led the team with six shots, but additionally showed his offensive prowess as a facilitator. He set up the crucial opening score of the game, for Brett Kulak’s first goal of the season.
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Then, after the Flames had closed to within 3-2 after 40 minutes, the winger stepped up and led the charge in the final period when needed most. First, he got the helper on Vincent Desharnais’ first NHL goal (eventually), to make it 4-2.
Kane would subsequently follow this up with a well-deserved goal, courtesy of an empty-netter as the final minute was ticking down. Unsurprisingly, he finished with a season-high +3 plus/minus rating.
As much as the 2009 fourth overall draft pick would have been happy with his own performance, he was more focused on how well the team did. Speaking to the media postgame, he said:
"“I thought we got back to our foundation of how we like to play and how we need to play. I thought we skated really well tonight, I thought we were physical. We got pucks and bodies in – look at the goals we scored. Every single one of them was around their blue paint, or creating havoc around their blue paint. That’s the recipe for success for our group.”"