The Edmonton Oilers are playoff bound, and one of the reasons was because of the play of left winger Evander Kane on Friday. In a 6-3 Oilers win over the Colorado Avalanche, Kane of Vancouver, British Columbia, recorded his fourth career National Hockey League hat trick.
Kane scored the Oilers’ first, third and fourth goals of the game, with all three goals coming in the second period. He tied the game at one, with a goal from captain Connor McDavid of Richmond Hill, Ontario at 2:41 of the middle frame. That was followed by a goal at 8:19 of the second period from Canadian Olympic gold medalist Duncan Keith of Winnipeg, Manitoba, and Kailer Yamamoto. Kane’s hat trick came at 14:20 of the second period from McDavid and Brett Kulak of Edmonton, Alberta. Keith’s Olympic gold medals for Canada came at the 2010 Olympic Winter Games in Vancouver and the 2014 Olympic Winter Games in Sochi.
On the season, Kane has 20 goals and 16 assists for 36 points in 39 games. He is a +24 with 56 penalty minutes, four power-play points, three shorthanded points, two game-winning goals, 129 shots on goal, 129 hits, 10 blocked shots, and seven faceoff wins.
This was Kane’s first hat trick with the Oilers. The other three were with the San Jose Sharks. They came in a 7-4 Sharks win over the Calgary Flames on March 16, 2018, in a 5-2 Sharks win over the Carolina Hurricanes on October 16, 2019, and in a 5-4 Sharks loss to the Washington Capitals on January 5, 2020.
Most importantly for Oilers fans with the win, Edmonton clinches a playoff spot. At 98 points, they are second in the Pacific Division.
