LOS ANGELES — Edmonton Oilers winger Evander Kane will make his season debut in Game 2 against the Los Angeles Kings on Wednesday, his first game in more than 10 months.
Kane last played for the Oilers in Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Final on June 10, 2024, before being shut down because of a sports hernia.
Advertisement
He then underwent extensive abdominal surgeries in September and a knee scope in January. He started skating with his teammates last month in anticipation of coming off LTIR for the playoffs.
“It’s been a long time since I last played a game,” Kane said. “It’s nice to get in and get an opportunity to contribute.”
“I was always confident that I’d be back playing (this season). I was unsure of when that was going to happen, but I’m looking forward to tonight.”
Oilers coach Kris Knoblauch anticipates there being plenty of rust for Kane, but he’s counting on the winger’s unique talents providing a spark to a group down 1-0 in the series.
“It’s very difficult for a player to come back after a long stretch, but Evander has a little bit of an X-factor,” Knoblauch said. “He’s going to be physical, and he can still shoot a puck and score. That’s two very important things to do in the playoffs.”
Kane was on the second line with Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Zach Hyman at Wednesday’s morning skate.
“We know what type of player he is,” Nugent-Hopkins said. “We’re excited to have him back.”
“If they’re going to play significant minutes, Ryan’s a reliable, defensive-minded player that can cover up. He’ll be playing against the other’s team top lines,” Knoblauch said. “We’re optimistic that Evander can play well and contribute, and the best way to do that is playing a significant role.”
Kane’s insertion into the lineup means the Oilers will load up their top line with superstars Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl to start Game 2. They’ll be joined by Corey Perry, the team’s elder stateman. All three of those players scored in a 6-5 loss in the series opener.
Rounding out the forward ranks are trios of Adam Henrique between Trent Frederic and Connor Brown as well as Mattias Janmark centering Vasily Podkolzin and Viktor Arvidsson.
That means Jeff Skinner will be scratched to make room for Kane. Skinner played his first playoff game after 1,078 regular-season contests, the most in league history before his postseason debut. Skinner had an assist in 11:12 and was minus-2 on Monday.
“It’s about roles and responsibilities,” Knoblauch said. “We only need so many guys to be on the power play. We only need so many guys to play top six in skilled positions. We need guys to be able to kill penalties. Jeff doesn’t kill penalties.
“There’s nothing against Jeff’s game the other night. It’s just that we’re putting in Evander tonight. We had to take someone out.”
Advertisement
The Kane-for-Skinner swap isn’t the only lineup change the Oilers are making ahead of Game 2.
Veteran John Klingberg will play his 11th game as an Oiler after being signed in January coming off a double hip resurfacing procedure that sidelined him for more than 14 months.
Klingberg sustained a foot injury when he blocked a shot in a March 4 game. He returned on March 27, only for his previous ailment to get infected. He then missed the last 10 regular-season games while on LTIR and Monday’s series opener.
Klingberg took line rushes with Jake Walman, but pairings will be adjusted as the Oilers are expected to lean heavily on a top four of Walman, Evan Bouchard, Darnell Nurse and Brett Kulak. Knoblauch said Klingberg will play more than the 4:54 that Josh Brown received in Game 1 as the No. 6 defenseman, especially if the Oilers are trailing.
“He’s had a long NHL career, a lot of playoff games,” Knoblauch said of Klingberg. “He can handle the pressure of the moment.”
(Photo: Perry Nelson / USA Today)
This news was originally published on this post .
About the author
Pittsburgh Steelers draft picks, grades: NFL draft order, mock drafts, rumors as Derrick Harmon taken 21st
Getty Images Fasten your seatbelts, Steelers fans, because the 2025 NFL Draft is shaping up to be a memorable one for Pittsburgh. For a second straight year, the Steelers completely turned over their quarterback room. Gone are Russell Wilson and Justin Fields, who went a combined 10-8 (including the postseason) as Pittsburgh's starting quarterbacks last year. The Steelers re-signed Mason Rudolph and are hoping that Aaron Rodgers decides to join them sometime this spring/summer. With Rodgers still unsigned, the Steelers may be compelled to draft a quarterback, although they have more pressing needs on their roster. But it'll be interesting to see what Steelers general manager Omar Khan does if one of the draft's top-rated quarterbacks falls into their lap at some point during the draft. On Thursday night, Pittsburgh had a chance to select Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders with the 21st pick, […]
New England Patriots draft picks, grades: NFL draft order, mock drafts, rumors as Will Campbell goes No. 4
Getty Images The New England Patriots are currently sitting in the doldrums of the NFL. The once dominant organization has since posted back-to-back 4-13 seasons, and is now on its third coach in as many years. While things have certainly taken a turn for the worst for Robert Kraft's team as of late, there is hope that the Patriots will claw back to relevancy. New England has seemingly found its quarterback of the future after selecting Drake Maye with the third overall pick last offseason, and have since tapped franchise icon Mike Vrabel to lead the organization going forward as its head coach. The club is also hot off the heels of strong free agent class where it brought in the likes of Milton Williams, Carlton Davis, Stefon Diggs and Morgan Moses, addressing key areas on the roster. Now, the attention turns to […]
Rizek, Casagrande e Milton Neves sinalizam time que pode surpreender em 2025
André Rizek, Casagrande e Milton Neves (Reproduções/Globo, CNN e Divulgação/Band) André Rizek, Casagrande e Milton Neves chegaram a um consenso de que o São Paulo deverá evoluir na temporada. A vitória sobre o Libertad por 2 a 0 fora de casa na última quarta-feira (23) foi considerada redentora para Luis Zubeldía. O técnico argentino se livrou da pressão ao conduzir o SPFC a mais uma vitória fora de casa pela fase de grupos da Libertadores, mesmo diante de uma equipe com os desfalques de seus principais jogadores. PUBLICIDADE PUBLICIDADE Rizek e Casagrande apontam favoritismo do SPFC nas Copas Em seu comentário para o ge.globo, André Rizek chamou atenção para a solidez do time são-paulino, mesmo sem Arboleda, Oscar, Lucas Moura e Calleri. Assim, o apresentador do Grupo Globo mostrou convicção de que o Tricolor Paulista deverá ser um time difícil […]
USC recruit Alijah Arenas no longer in coma after fiery car crash, family says
The family of Alijah Arenas, a five-star basketball recruit committed to the University of Southern California, said Friday that the high school star is no longer in a medically induced coma following a serious car crash Thursday morning.Arenas’ family announced the update on his condition in a statement to ESPN’s Shams Charania. It said Arenas, 18, remains intubated but has shown “significant signs of progress over the last 24 hours.”AdvertisementThe statement includes an account from an unnamed individual who helped rescue Arenas from his Tesla Cybertruck after it struck a fire hydrant and a tree before catching fire.“I remember hearing banging on the car window, but I couldn’t see anything because the smoke was so thick. That’s when I realized someone was inside,” the person said. “I tried to break the window, but it wouldn’t give. Then I saw one […]
Down 2-0 in series, Oilers to start Calvin Pickard in Game 3 vs. Kings
EDMONTON — With their season teetering on the brink, the Edmonton Oilers are making a goalie change.Calvin Pickard has been tabbed to replace Stuart Skinner as the Oilers’ starter with the team down 2-0 ahead of Game 3 of their first-round series against the Los Angeles Kings.“Calvin’s come in and played some really big games for us dating back to last year,” Oilers coach Kris Knoblauch said. “We’re in a position where we need to win a game, and we have a lot of confidence in him.”AdvertisementPickard got mop-up duty in Game 2, playing the final 9:30 of the blowout 6-2 defeat. Pickard allowed a goal on the first shot from the Kings by Adrian Kempe before stopping the last two he faced.That hasn’t been the only time he’s been called upon by the coaching staff in the playoffs.Pickard played […]
NFL likely to tweak Thanksgiving schedule in 2025, Christmas tripleheader set to become permanent
Getty Images The NFL is planning to take over Christmas. In two of the past three years, the league has scheduled a tripleheader for Dec. 25 and starting with 2025, that's going to become a permanent part of the schedule. Yup, the Christmas tripleheader is likely here to stay. NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell revealed that news during an interview on The Pat McAfee Show Friday. "I think we will clearly have three games every year [on Christmas]," Goodell said. The NFL was already planning to hold a tripleheader this year with the league announcing in March that Netflix and Amazon would be streaming the games. Since Christmas is on a Thursday in 2025, Amazon will be getting its standard Thursday night game while Netflix will be handling the other two games as part of a three-year deal that it signed with the NFL in […]
Related
Pittsburgh Steelers draft picks, grades: NFL draft order, mock drafts, rumors as Derrick Harmon taken 21st
Getty Images Fasten your seatbelts, Steelers fans, because the 2025 NFL Draft is shaping up to be a memorable one for Pittsburgh. For a second straight year, the Steelers completely turned over their quarterback room. Gone are Russell Wilson and Justin Fields, who went a combined 10-8 (including the postseason) as Pittsburgh's starting quarterbacks last year. The Steelers re-signed Mason Rudolph and are hoping that Aaron Rodgers decides to join them sometime this spring/summer. With Rodgers still unsigned, the Steelers may be compelled to draft a quarterback, although they have more pressing needs on their roster. But it'll be interesting to see what Steelers general manager Omar Khan does if one of the draft's top-rated quarterbacks falls into their lap at some point during the draft. On Thursday night, Pittsburgh had a chance to select Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders with the 21st pick, […]
New England Patriots draft picks, grades: NFL draft order, mock drafts, rumors as Will Campbell goes No. 4
Getty Images The New England Patriots are currently sitting in the doldrums of the NFL. The once dominant organization has since posted back-to-back 4-13 seasons, and is now on its third coach in as many years. While things have certainly taken a turn for the worst for Robert Kraft's team as of late, there is hope that the Patriots will claw back to relevancy. New England has seemingly found its quarterback of the future after selecting Drake Maye with the third overall pick last offseason, and have since tapped franchise icon Mike Vrabel to lead the organization going forward as its head coach. The club is also hot off the heels of strong free agent class where it brought in the likes of Milton Williams, Carlton Davis, Stefon Diggs and Morgan Moses, addressing key areas on the roster. Now, the attention turns to […]
Rizek, Casagrande e Milton Neves sinalizam time que pode surpreender em 2025
André Rizek, Casagrande e Milton Neves (Reproduções/Globo, CNN e Divulgação/Band) André Rizek, Casagrande e Milton Neves chegaram a um consenso de que o São Paulo deverá evoluir na temporada. A vitória sobre o Libertad por 2 a 0 fora de casa na última quarta-feira (23) foi considerada redentora para Luis Zubeldía. O técnico argentino se livrou da pressão ao conduzir o SPFC a mais uma vitória fora de casa pela fase de grupos da Libertadores, mesmo diante de uma equipe com os desfalques de seus principais jogadores. PUBLICIDADE PUBLICIDADE Rizek e Casagrande apontam favoritismo do SPFC nas Copas Em seu comentário para o ge.globo, André Rizek chamou atenção para a solidez do time são-paulino, mesmo sem Arboleda, Oscar, Lucas Moura e Calleri. Assim, o apresentador do Grupo Globo mostrou convicção de que o Tricolor Paulista deverá ser um time difícil […]
USC recruit Alijah Arenas no longer in coma after fiery car crash, family says
The family of Alijah Arenas, a five-star basketball recruit committed to the University of Southern California, said Friday that the high school star is no longer in a medically induced coma following a serious car crash Thursday morning.Arenas’ family announced the update on his condition in a statement to ESPN’s Shams Charania. It said Arenas, 18, remains intubated but has shown “significant signs of progress over the last 24 hours.”AdvertisementThe statement includes an account from an unnamed individual who helped rescue Arenas from his Tesla Cybertruck after it struck a fire hydrant and a tree before catching fire.“I remember hearing banging on the car window, but I couldn’t see anything because the smoke was so thick. That’s when I realized someone was inside,” the person said. “I tried to break the window, but it wouldn’t give. Then I saw one […]
Down 2-0 in series, Oilers to start Calvin Pickard in Game 3 vs. Kings
EDMONTON — With their season teetering on the brink, the Edmonton Oilers are making a goalie change.Calvin Pickard has been tabbed to replace Stuart Skinner as the Oilers’ starter with the team down 2-0 ahead of Game 3 of their first-round series against the Los Angeles Kings.“Calvin’s come in and played some really big games for us dating back to last year,” Oilers coach Kris Knoblauch said. “We’re in a position where we need to win a game, and we have a lot of confidence in him.”AdvertisementPickard got mop-up duty in Game 2, playing the final 9:30 of the blowout 6-2 defeat. Pickard allowed a goal on the first shot from the Kings by Adrian Kempe before stopping the last two he faced.That hasn’t been the only time he’s been called upon by the coaching staff in the playoffs.Pickard played […]
NFL likely to tweak Thanksgiving schedule in 2025, Christmas tripleheader set to become permanent
Getty Images The NFL is planning to take over Christmas. In two of the past three years, the league has scheduled a tripleheader for Dec. 25 and starting with 2025, that's going to become a permanent part of the schedule. Yup, the Christmas tripleheader is likely here to stay. NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell revealed that news during an interview on The Pat McAfee Show Friday. "I think we will clearly have three games every year [on Christmas]," Goodell said. The NFL was already planning to hold a tripleheader this year with the league announcing in March that Netflix and Amazon would be streaming the games. Since Christmas is on a Thursday in 2025, Amazon will be getting its standard Thursday night game while Netflix will be handling the other two games as part of a three-year deal that it signed with the NFL in […]
Be the first to leave a comment