Evander Kane struck for a natural hat trick over a six-minute span in the second period to lift the Edmonton Oilers to a 4-1 win over the Calgary Flames Sunday night at Rogers Place.
Edmonton takes a 2-1 series lead.
The Oilers outshot the Flames 21-7 in the first period but neither team got on the scoreboard.
The Oilers kept the pressure on in the second and needed just 52 seconds to breakthrough. Zach Hyman beat Jacob Markstrom’s blocker side for his fourth of the series. Evander Kane scored two goals 53 seconds apart, first converting a pass from Leon Draisaitl, then finishing off a feed from Connor McDavid.
Halfway through the second, Mike Smith stopped Johnny Gaudreau on a breakaway then made a glove snare on Matthew Tkachuk’s poke at the rebound. Kane would complete the hat trick not long after, swooping in front and beating Markstrom with a backhand.
Milan Lucic sparked a heated scrum when he shoved Mike Smith into the end boards as Smith was beside the net to play the puck. Lucic was slapped with a five-minute major for charging and game misconduct. Smith was ordered to leave the game under the NHL’s concussion protocol. Smith returned after being replaced by Mikko Koskinen for 4:15. Koskinen did not face a shot on goal.
Oliver Kylington scored for the Flames with 4:51 remaining.
Kane — who also had a hat trick in game three against Los Angeles — becomes the first Oiler to have multiple hat tricks in the same playoff season since Jari Kurri had four in 1985.
Draisaitl had four assists in the second to equal the NHL record for most points in a playoff period.
Dan Vladar replaced Markstrom in the Flames net for the third period.
Game 4 is Tuesday at Rogers Place (630 CHED’s Face-off Show begins at 5:30 p.m., the game starts at 7:30 p.m.).
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