There are of course no guarantees the Edmonton Oilers are now going to win their first round playoff series against the Los Angeles Kings, just because they won Game 3 on Friday night. Even in victory it's still clear the defensive side of the team is horrific; yes Calvin Pickard was an improvement on Stuart Skinner, but he still wasn't great.
However, the Oilers at least now have a chance and that's all you can ask for, with one of the main reasons for the 7-4 win in Edmonton being the play of someone who effectively missed a year of action through injury. We are of course talking about Evander Kane, who before Wednesday's second game in Los Angeles hadn't played since Game 2 of last season's Stanley Cup Final.
Kane has this ability to be in the headlines even when he's not playing, whether it's his fault or not. Since his absence began there have been questions about why he waited until last September to undergo sports hernia surgery, speculation he would be traded, and his return to action being continually delayed.
Evander Kane his usual troublesome self
Well, now the polarizing player is back on the ice and after using Game 2 as a warm-up, is already looking just like he did prior to his injury absence. He's been the physical force the Oilers have sorely missed, and in Game 3 he landed big hits and even took a minor penalty for tripping in the second period.
In yet another example of the issues and controversy that Kane's brand of hockey can cause, the Kings used his absence to tie the game at 2-2 on a power play goal. However, in case anyone forgot, Kane is also a pretty damn talented player, which is a big part of the reason he was selected fourth overall in the 2009 draft.
The 33-year-old produced 13 goals and 17 overall points in his first playoff run with the Oilers in 2021-22, and there was more of the same on Friday night inside Rogers Place. First, after the Kings had recovered from the early 2-0 deficit to take a 3-2 lead in the second period, he took the puck around the back of their net and set up Connor Brown beautifully to tie the game 3-3 at the 17:19 mark of the middle frame.
Even bigger than that, was the goal Kane scored to tie the game at 4-4 with less than seven minutes remaining in the third period. Through sheer force of will and strength, he was able to fire the puck home after a mad scramble in front of the Kings net.
Oilers and their fans used to the drama
Of course it wouldn't be Kane if even in this moment there wasn't some drama, but after a video review AND a coach's challenge, the goal stood. The Kings were made to pay for this as the Oilers took a 5-4 lead on the subsequent man advantage for the failed coach's challenge, then went on to add two empty-netters to secure the final 7-4 scoreline.
Kane spoke to the media postgame about the pivotal sequence of events in the final period. As per Donna Spencer of The Canadian Press, he said: "I knew it was just a matter of them seeing it on the replay and it felt good and then they challenge it, so you never know what can happen in those situations. It was a good boost for our team, an important goal. And then the power play goes out and does its thing and we're in the lead, so big win for our group."
Connor Brown, who had a big game himself with two goals, marvelled at how his teammate has almost seamlessly fitted right back into the action. Also as per Spencer, Brown said: "I thought he had a great game tonight. Not only did he obviously have those two big impactful (moments), but I thought he was holding on to the puck. He's forechecking well. I thought our line was able to sustain some offence and a lot to do with him. I missed the full season and it took me about 60 games score. It took him six periods."
As for Kane himself, he's taking it all in his stride. He said: "To be honest, I felt OK last game. You're never going to feel perfect when it's your first game back in that long, but tonight in terms of my legs and feel out there, night and day. And I'm sure it's going to continue to get better."
That last comment will simultaneously be music to the ears of Oilers fans and a source of concern for the Kings. Game 4 on Sunday night will tell us for sure if the Oilers are truly back in this series or not, and if Kane has anything to say about it, plenty of people in Los Angeles will be sitting nervously on the edge of their seats.
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