SEATTLE — Evander Kane needed just three shots to show the Edmonton Oilers can be more than just Connor McDavid. The timing couldn’t be better with the playoffs on the horizon.
Kane recorded his second hat trick of the season and the Oilers gained some cushion in the Western Conference playoff chase with a 6-4 win Saturday against the Seattle Kraken.
Kane capped the sixth three-goal game of his career by scoring on an odd-man rush with 9:40 remaining just after a power play for Seattle ended. Kane also scored Edmonton’s first goal less than two minutes into the game, and his second goal came 43 seconds into the second period.
“That’s part of my job is to be productive for this group,” said Kane, who has played in just 29 games because of injuries. “Obviously 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 did his part with a goal and two assists, giving him 134 points for the season — the seventh-most points by any player in the past 30 years. McDavid scored his 58th goal of the season on a power play with 3:50 remaining.
McDavid recorded his 20th three-point game of the season, the first player to reach that mark since Mario Lemieux and Jaromir Jagr did it in the 1995-96 season.
The victory moved Edmonton three points ahead of Seattle for the final automatic playoff spot from the Pacific Division. Edmonton has one less game remaining than Seattle, but the Oilers gained the upper hand in the final matchup of the regular season between the teams.
“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 Ws.”
Zach Hyman scored his 30th of the season and Leon Draisaitl had three assists, giving him 104 points on the season. Stuart Skinner made 33 saves for Edmonton.
Jaden Schwartz, Jordan Eberle, Oliver Bjorkstrand and Eeli Tolvanen all scored for Seattle, but the Kraken lost for the sixth time in their past seven home games. Vince Dunn extended his points streak to 12 games when he assisted on Seattle’s first goal that was tipped in by Schwartz.
“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.”
First Period: 1, Edmonton, Kane 11 (Hyman, Nurse), 1:35. 2, Seattle, Schwartz 17 (Dunn, Beniers), 6:34. 3, Edmonton, Yamamoto 9 (Nugent-Hopkins, Draisaitl), 16:36. Penalties: Janmark, EDM (Holding), 1:58; Schultz, SEA (Tripping), 4:11.
Second Period: 4, Edmonton, Kane 12 (McDavid, Ekholm), 0:43. 5, Seattle, Eberle 16 (McCann, Larsson), 4:07. 6, Edmonton, Hyman 30 (Ekholm, McDavid), 7:28. 7, Seattle, Bjorkstrand 16 (Gourde, Oleksiak), 14:18. Penalties: Kostin, EDM (Fighting), 12:15; Hayden, SEA (Fighting), 12:15.
Third Period: 8, Edmonton, Kane 13 (Draisaitl, Kulak), 10:20. 9, Edmonton, McDavid 58 (Draisaitl, Ekholm), 16:10 (pp). 10, Seattle, Tolvanen 15 (Geekie, Oleksiak), 19:12. Penalties: Seattle bench, served by Donato (Too Many Men on the Ice), 5:03; Janmark, EDM (Hooking), 8:12; Desharnais, EDM (Slashing), 13:25; McCann, SEA (Slashing), 13:25; Oleksiak, SEA (Hooking), 14:50.
Shots on Goal: Edmonton 9-7-7—23. Seattle 14-15-8—37.
Power-play opportunities: Edmonton 1 of 3; Seattle 0 of 2.
Goalies: Edmonton, Skinner 22-14-4 (37 shots-33 saves). Seattle, Jones 24-12-3 (13-10), Seattle, Grubauer 13-12-4 (10-7).
A: 17,171 (17,100). T:2:33.
Referees: Tom Chmielewski, Furman South. Linesmen: Dan Kelly, Trent Knorr.
