Evander Kane needed just three shots to remind everyone that the Edmonton Oilers are more than just Connor McDavid, delivering a crucial performance with the playoffs on the horizon.
Kane recorded his second hat trick of the season, helping the Oilers secure a 6-4 win over the Seattle Kraken on Saturday and gain some breathing room in the Western Conference playoff race.
Kane completed his sixth career hat trick by scoring on an odd-man rush with 9:40 remaining, just after a Seattle power play ended. He also scored Edmonton’s first goal less than two minutes into the game and added another just 43 seconds into the second period.
“That’s part of my job is to be productive for this group,” said Kane, who has played just 29 games this season due to injuries. “We have two of the best players in the world, but they can’t carry a team and win a championship. You need everyone pulling their weight.”
McDavid still made his mark with a goal and two assists, giving him 134 points for the season — the seventh-highest total by any player in the past 30 years. He netted his 58th goal on a power play with 3:50 remaining and recorded his 20th three-point game of the season, a feat last achieved by Mario Lemieux and Jaromir Jagr in the 1995-96 season.
The victory moved Edmonton three points ahead of Seattle for the final automatic playoff spot in the Pacific Division. The Oilers gained the upper hand in the final regular-season matchup between the teams, despite having one less game remaining than Seattle.
“It’s really big. Every game down the stretch right now is huge for us,” said Edmonton’s Kailer Yamamoto, who scored his ninth goal of the season in the first period. “We need to keep chipping away and keep finding ways to get these W’s.”
Zach Hyman scored his 30th goal of the season, and Leon Draisaitl contributed three assists, bringing his season total to 104 points. Stuart Skinner made 33 saves for Edmonton.
Jaden Schwartz, Jordan Eberle, Oliver Bjorkstrand, and Eeli Tolvanen scored for Seattle, but the Kraken have now lost six of their past seven home games. Vince Dunn extended his points streak to 12 games with an assist on Schwartz’s goal, which was originally credited to Dunn.
“Obviously, this is frustrating. You see the standings and where we’re at,” Eberle said. “Obviously, we’re fighting until the end. It’s a big road trip for us coming up.”
Seattle’s Philipp Grubauer made seven saves but left with 13:30 remaining in the second period due to a non-COVID illness. Martin Jones replaced him and allowed a goal on the first shot he faced, a wrist shot by Hyman assisted by McDavid. Jones made 10 saves.
“It’s a disappointing outcome. Our team played hard, our team played well,” Seattle coach Dave Hakstol said. “We had to play a little too much from behind.”
Game Notes
- Kane had his first multi-goal game since returning from wrist surgery after suffering a cut from a skate blade on Nov. 8 in Tampa Bay. He missed 31 games recovering from the surgery and had scored five goals in the 14 games since his return.
- Seattle F John Hayden left the game with 7:45 remaining in the second period after a fight with Klim Kostin, falling awkwardly on his right leg. He did not return.
- Edmonton has four players with at least 30 goals for the first time since 1989-90.
UP NEXT
- Oilers: Host San Jose on Monday.
- Kraken: Visit Dallas on Tuesday.
