Evander Kane back on the ice with Oilers, will he play tonight?
A familiar face was back on the ice for the Edmonton Oilers at practice this morning as the team prepares for a do-or-die Game 5 in the Stanley Cup Final tonight.
Evander Kane, who missed the last two games with an injury, skated with the team. His presence is surprising as Kane has usually opted to skip morning skates and practices as much as he can this postseason—presumably to get some extra rest in for whatever injury he is dealing with.
Yet, that didn’t stop him from lacing them up this morning. TVA Sports’ Renaud Lavoie captured a video of Kane skating at Amerant Bank Arena in Florida.
Evander Kane ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/kHvN4h4rlS
— Renaud Lavoie (@renlavoietva) June 18, 2024
It remains to be seen if Kane will play tonight.
Yesterday, Oilers head coach Kris Knoblauch said it was possible that Kane would eventually return to action in this series, but he declined to say if that would be the case heading into Game 5.
We do have some clues to his status for tonight. Kane wound up staying on the ice late alongside other players like goalies Jack Campbell and Calvin Pickard and probable scratches like Sam Carrick, Sam Gagner, and Vincent Desharnais.
According to The Athletic‘s Daniel Nugent-Bowman, this is a good sign that Kane will not play tonight.
Pickard, Campbell, Desharnais, Carrick, Gagner and Kane all on the ice late after an optional Oilers morning skate.
No confirmation from Kris Knoblauch, but this indicates the same lineup from Game 4 is likely tonight.
— Daniel Nugent-Bowman (@DNBsports) June 18, 2024
Rolling with the same lineup that won Game 4 by a resounding 8-1 score would not be a bad call from Knoblauch. Changes made to deal with Kane’s absence wound up having some very positive effect on the team, with some newfound chemistry between the top three forward lines taking centre stage.
If this is true, then the Oilers will have to try to keep their season alive without the help of Kane. The new team mantra urges them to drag the Panthers back to Alberta for a Game 6 on home ice and they will have no other choice if they want to keep the Stanley Cup under lock and key for a few more nights.