Evander Kane’s Natural Hat Trick Powers Oilers To 4-1 Victory Over Listless Flames

Evander Kane scored a natural hat trick in the second period to help power the Oilers to a big win in Game 3 over the Calgary Flames.

Kane’s three goal outburst capped a four goal second for the Oilers, who put a full sixty minutes into their 4-1 win. Mike Smith turned aside 32 of 33 shots en route to the win. It was a feel-good win for the Oilers, who now have the upper hand with a 2-1 lead in the best-of-seven series against the Calgary Flames.

Some quick hits:

• Evander Kane had a night. Three straight goals in the second period give him ten in the playoffs. Walking on the moon. Kane’s three goals would take just six minutes of game time in the middle frame to complete, I’m pretty sure it took longer to clean the hats from the ice after the third goal was scored.

• Zach Hyman opened the scoring for Edmonton with less than a minute gone in the second period, it’s his sixth of the playoffs.
• Both Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl had multi-point nights (McDavid had 3 assists, Draisaitl had helpers on all four). McDavid looked out of this world again tonight, helping Evander Kane thread the needle. We’re running out of superlatives to describe this playoff season from Connor McDavid, who now has 24 points in just ten playoff games this season.
• The power play went 0/5 on the night, but they were active with twelve total shots on Calgary’s goaltenders.
• Edmonton chased Flames goaltender Jacob Markstrom after forty minutes. Markstrom came into tonight’s game with a .838 SV% in the first two of the series, he’d leave tonight’s game with a slightly better .884. Calgary could have easily taken the first two games of this series had Markstrom been replacement level in game 2. Daniel Vladar relieved Markstrom and turned aside 7/7 in the third.
• Both Josh Archibald (7:42) and Zack Kassian (5:43) didn’t play a whole lot again, but in the spirit of fairness I noted Archibald drawing a penalty in the first, and Kassian had a shot on goal. It’s not a lot of ice time, but both players were back after both players put up less than five minutes of ice in game 3.
• The Oilers came out flying in this one. Edmonton didn’t score any goals in the first period, but they put up 21 shots on Markstrom and looked like the better team. For nearly all of this one, they were the better team.
• Things got dicey in the third period when Milan Lucic took Mike Smith into the boards with eight and a half minutes remaining. Smith played the puck behind the goal line with his back turned. Lucic would take Smith into the boards, which ended up with Smith being forced to go off for concussion protocol. Mikko Koskinen would enter the game, but face no shots. Smith would later return, Lucic would pick up five minutes and a game misconduct. Later on, Andrew Mangiapane would appear to unload some knee-on-knee contact which did not result in a call.
• Oliver Kylington would score the lone Flames goal late in the third, but the damage was already done. The Edmonton Oilers would take this one by a 4-1 margin, they’d pick up their second win in three games.
• Edmonton needs just two more wins in this series to advance to the Conference Championship, something they haven’t done since the 2006 Cup Run. They’ll get an opportunity to put Calgary in a tough situation when these two clubs face off for Game 4 at Rogers Place.