Evander Kane had a wide-open net, but he still passed the puck.
Rather than make it his first goal of the year, the Oilers’ No. 91 dropped the puck to allow captain Connor McDavid to set an NHL record for season-opening hat-tricks.
McDavid, who looked a little surprised when he got a pass, shot it for his third goal of the night and secured a 5-3 Edmonton Oilers win over the Vancouver Canucks on Wednesday.
“I like to keep him busy I guess,” Kane said Thursday with a laugh.
“I’ve been at it for a long time. So you realize the situation of the game, who’s out there, and I thought he’s a pretty good player, so if I put it near him, he’ll use it. Nice to see him score a hat-trick.”
McDavid finished the game with four points. He also reached 700 in his career, becoming the sixth fastest ever to reach that mark. The current captain has made it in 488 games. Wayne Gretzky holds the record with just 317.
After three hits on opening night in 2017-18, McDavid also became the third player in NHL history to score multiple hat-tricks in season-opening games. He joins Brendan Shanahan and Cam Neely who have also made it twice.
“That was a nice game from Kaner. It’s not fun to be at zero (goals). So it was definitely a chance to come from zero. Disinterested play for sure, definitely appreciate it,” McDavid said afterwards the game.
The Oilers coach didn’t like the team’s start as they fell 3-0 down. But Jay Woodcroft was happy with how his team rushed back and how the game ended, including Kane’s pass.
“Kaner realized Connor was available and he found him and he’s a great teammate,” Woodcroft told reporters.
“I’m glad you picked that up. It’s one of those things that coaches sometimes pick up and show in videos and things like that. But I found it positive and a selfless act.”
Edmonton Oilers’ Connor McDavid (97) celebrates his hat trick against the Vancouver Canucks during NHL third period action on Wednesday, October 12, 2022 in Edmonton (THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jason Franson).
After joining the Oilers midseason last year, Kane scored 22 goals in 43 games and added 13 in just 15 playoff games.
McDavid assisted on many of those marks, and Kane was asked if he expects his linemate to retaliate with some sweet passes this year.
“I don’t know, probably not with the type of player he is,” Kane said sarcastically with a laugh, before adding sincerely, “I’m sure he will.”
Next, the Oilers take on the Calgary Flames. This game takes place on Saturday at 8pm MT at Rogers Place.