Kane perfect fit for Oilers entering Game 5 against Kings

LOS ANGELES -- Evander Kane had no doubt about his ability to help the Edmonton Oilers when he signed a one-year contract with them as a free agent Jan. 27.

His play is answering any questions anyone else had.
Kane has scored five goals in the first four games of the Stanley Cup Playoffs and is a big reason the Oilers are tied 2-2 in the best-of-7 Western Conference First Round against the Los Angeles Kings heading into Game 5 at Rogers Place in Edmonton on Tuesday (10 p.m. ET; ESPN2, CBC, SN, TVAS, BSSC).
"I've just had the best seasons of my career," Kane said. "It's not like it hasn't been working. I've gotten better each and every year in my NHL career.
"I think my numbers show that. I think if you just use the eye test, it shows that."
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Kane scored 49 points (22 goals, 27 assists) in 56 games for the San Jose Sharks last season. His average of 0.88 points per game was the best of his NHL career to that point.
But after a tumultuous offseason, he was suspended 21 games by the NHL on Oct. 18 for violating COVID-19 protocols. He was waived and assigned to San Jose of the American Hockey League on Nov. 29, and after entering AHL COVID-19 protocol Dec. 22, he was investigated for improperly entering Canada during the Christmas break. He wasn't punished but the Sharks placed him on waivers with the intention of terminating the final four seasons of his seven-year contract Jan. 8, making him a free agent.
He debuted with the Oilers on Jan. 29, and scored 39 points (22 goals, 17 assists) in 43 games, an average of 0.91 points per game.
Kane said the fit with the Oilers has been near perfect, him on the upswing and the Oilers a confident, growing group.
"I was put behind the eight ball a bit, not starting on time this year," he said. "But again, I felt real confident in me, and I think I'm getting even better next year as a player.
"So in terms of all the other stuff, I think it's … there's not a lot of selfishness on this team. I think guys are very secure with their roles. And I think that can really make it easy. I'm just a fresh face coming in the locker room and saying that. [Selfishness] can set a team back or limit a team's capabilities when you have that type of attitude. And I just don't see any of that here."
Forward Zach Hyman said Kane has been a perfect match for the Oilers this season.
"His ability to produce and what he brings to the team has changed our dynamic," Hyman said. "He brings an element that we probably lacked before and he's really rounded our team in all aspects.
"Off the ice we welcomed him and he's been great. He's been a good teammate. Obviously there were a lot of perceptions on him coming in I think, but I think he's done everything in his power to stray those away. And even if our teammates had those [perceptions], he's been a great teammate."
Kane has played with McDavid and Leon Draisaitl, but the fit appears to be better with McDavid, and he's been on the Oilers captain's line during the postseason.
McDavid won the Art Ross Trophy as the NHL scoring leader this season with a career-high 123 points (44 goals, 79 assists) in 80 games. That includes 65 points (23 goals, 42 assists) in 42 games since Kane debuted Jan. 29.
"I think it's his finishing [that's undervalued]," McDavid said. "He just seems to be in the right spot. He finds a way to put it in the back of the net. He's hard on the forecheck, physical, and he seems to be in the right spot at the right time."
It has resulted in Kane sharing the playoff goal-scoring lead with Kirill Kaprizov of the Minnesota Wild and David Perron of the St. Louis Blues. His six points (five goals, one assist) is tied with McDavid for the Oilers lead.
How productive has Kane been in Edmonton? Since Jan. 29 Kane has scored a combined 27 regular-season and playoff goals, tied with McDavid and Mitchell Marner of the Toronto Maple Leafs for fourth in the NHL, behind Auston Matthews of the Maple Leafs (37), Kaprizov (35), Elias Lindholm of the Calgary Flames (30).
That includes his first Stanley Cup Playoff hat trick in Edmonton's 8-2 win in Game 3 against the Kings.
Kane said it was about 20 games into his time with Edmonton that his legs and his shot finally caught up to the speed of the NHL season.
"I knew it was going to take some time with the timing, even just shooting, getting your shot back," he said. "As much as you can still shoot, I hadn't shot at an NHL goaltender in a long time and there's a difference just re-learning, remembering really how to score. And seeing the puck beating a goalie gives you a little confidence."
And then he had to figure out a quick list of do's and don'ts when playing with McDavid, whose speed, vision and quick hands are as elite as they get.
"What I learned on the don't list, right from the first game, is that you're trying to force feed him the puck because you think, 'Oh, let's get him the puck,' right?" he said. "Don't do that. It's actually the opposite.
"If you just play your game it'll take care of itself. The first game, all I was thinking was let's get Connor the puck, and I looked like I never played in the NHL. Most of those times it was not the right position he should get the puck, especially with all the speed he's coming up to the neutral zone. Now I find him easy to play with now that I'm back up to where I am."
He said he's figured out that timing with McDavid and believes McDavid has seen how Kane enjoys the low, cycle game near the net, and that has helped each of them.
"Hockey's a game where you need everybody," Kane said. "It can't just be one guy. I think it's been very evident in his tenure so far. He's so talented individually, you got to have guys that can go with you and support you and complement you. So we've found a nice mesh there."
Kane has scored 545 points (286 goals, 259 assists) in 812 career NHL games with the Atlanta Thrashers, Winnipeg Jets, Buffalo Sabres, Sharks and Oilers, and that track record of production hasn't been lost on coach Jay Woodcroft, who has stuck with the McDavid-Kane connection.
"[Kane] is a finisher, someone who can score, and he's paired up with Connor, who is one of the best playmakers in the world, the best player in the world," Woodcroft said. "If you pair a finisher with the best player in the world, good things are going to happen.
"I also think he has really good habits. He does a lot of really good things. He goes to hard areas and he stops. He doesn't fly by confrontation. He's physical. He's been a really good addition for us. He's a big part of why we're at where we're at."