Evander Kane scored in his first NHL game with the Edmonton Oilers. Because of course he did.
Kane made his debut for the Oilers against the Montreal Canadiens on Saturday. It didn’t take long for the ex-Shark to make an impact with his new team.
Kane opened the scoring for the Oilers against the Habs just 11 minutes into the first period. Kane went to the net and redirected an Evan Bouchard point shot past Montreal goalie Sam Montembeault.
While it wasn’t anything fancy, this is exactly what Kane was looking for in his Oilers debut. Edmonton hadn’t scored the first goal in 11 straight games until Kane struck first against Montreal.
Video:
Evander Kane opens the scoring in his first game with the Oilers. Because of course he does. pic.twitter.com/1bjnkCWp0J
— Brady Trettenero (@BradyTrett) January 30, 2022
Kane played on the top line with Connor McDavid and Kailer Yamamoto on Saturday, finishing with one goal, three shots and four hits in 17:52 of ice time. The Oilers dominated the Habs, winning by a 7-2 score.
The Oilers couldn’t have asked for a better debut from Kane. The 30-year-old didn’t stir up any controversy and let his play on the ice do the talking.
Kane has made all kinds of headlines for off-ice controversies in his career, but the Oilers are giving him another chance. The team announced they signed Kane to a one-year contract on Thursday.
Kane was asked post-game about playing his first NHL game in over a year.
“Obviously there was some rust, some timing issues getting the legs going. All to be expected, but the boys did a really good job as a group taking it to them and finishing the opportunities we scored on and it was a good first game. Not much more to say other than that.”
Kane also had praise for the depth of his team. “You look at our team now, you see the balance in the lines, you see the offensive flair that everybody can bring, it’s dangerous. We’re going to continue to play a heavier game and be more engaged that way. That’ll only help us as well.”
Kane also said he’s expecting to develop much better chemistry with McDavid and Yamamoto on the top line moving forward. Their line was held to just the one goal against the Habs.
Here’s Kane’s full post-game after making his debut with the Oilers:
The Oilers have now won four straight games following a brutal seven-game losing streak. Edmonton’s seven goals against Montreal was their highest goal output of the 2021-22 season.
Controversy seems to follow Kane wherever he goes, but so far so good for the power forward in Edmonton.
