Kane expected to be back in Oilers lineup for Game 5 after birth of son

May 26 2022, 6:40 pm

Evander Kane is expected to be in the lineup for the Edmonton Oilers when they try to eliminate the Calgary Flames from the Stanley Cup 

Kane briefly left the team to be with his girlfriend, model Mara Teigen, for the birth of his child, Iverson Frank Kane.  

The Oilers winger didn’t travel with the team to Calgary on Wednesday, according to multiple reports. He will, however, be in the lineup with the chance to eliminate the Flames in Game 5. 

“He’s healthy and available,” Edmonton coach Jay Woodcroft confirmed.

Kane leads the playoffs with 12 goals. His 15 points rank behind only teammates Connor McDavid (25) and Leon Draisaitl (22) league-wide.

“We’re a team that is sort of growing up,” McDavid said. “You can see that by the number of kids that are around. I think it’s been great. Excited for Kaner and his family. He’s growing his family. A lot of guys have grown their families out. And it’s fun to watch.”

Each of Kane, Draisaitl, and Darnell Nurse did not participate in morning skate but will play in the pivotal game with the chance to eliminate the Flames.

Edmonton is up 3-1 in the best-of-seven series with their provincial rivals. One more win would put the Oilers in the Western Conference Final for the first time since losing in the Stanley Cup Final to the Carolina Hurricanes in 2006.

“We’re desperate to close this series out,” Edmonton captain Connor McDavid said. “That’s how we match it. We want to come out and have a strong performance and play our best game of the series and close the series out. That’s our focus.”

Here’s how the Oilers could line up in Game 5: 

Evander Kane — Connor McDavid — Leon Draisaitl
Zach Hyman — Ryan Nugent-Hopkins — Jesse Puljujarvi
Warren Foegele — Ryan McLeod — Kailer Yamamoto
Josh Archibald — Derek Ryan — Zack Kassian

Darnell Nurse — Cody Ceci
Duncan Keith — Evan Bouchard
Brett Kulak — Tyson Barrie

Mike Smith

Aaron VickersAaron Vickers

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