Oilers' Evander Kane relishing playoff return, gets candid on missing 2024 Stanley Cup Final through injury

Evander Kane and the Edmonton Oilers have their first lead of the 2025 Western Conference Finals.

Edmonton crushed the Dallas Stars 6-1 in Game 3 of their third-round series on Sunday afternoon at home and now has an opportunity to extend that lead to 3-1 with a win in Game 4 on Tuesday night.

Connor McDavid tallied two goals, and Stuart Skinner continued his excellent play, stopping 33 of 34 shots in the Game 3 victory. While the Oilers' superstars and goaltenders often receive most of the attention in the market and around the league, the team's depth looks to be the best it's been in the McDavid era.

From Zach Hyman to Connor Brown to Corey Perry, you name it, everyone is making an impact. But one guy who's stood out the most is veteran winger Evander Kane. Kane missed the entire regular season with various injuries but has shown no rust whatsoever upon returning in these Stanley Cup Playoffs.

He spoke to Ryan Rishaug of TSN on Monday and shared what it means to finally be at full health. TSN posted the full interview on YouTube.

"It's refreshing for me mentally. It's nice to be feeling good at this time of the year. And you know, obviously, when you go through what we went through as a group last time, what I went through individually, and losing Game 7, and you know, at the same time, not being able to be a part of that Game 7 was difficult," Kane said (1:30).

"You never know. You know I've been around long enough; you never know if you're ever gonna get that chance again. And you know now we're knocking on the doorstep to have an opportunity like that, and you know we need to continue to play well. And obviously it's a bigger game tomorrow," Kane added.

Evander Kane has racked up 10 points (four goals, six assists) in 13 games so far this postseason.

Evander Kane and the Oilers aren't resting on their laurels

While the Edmonton Oilers are in a spot that 30 other teams in the NHL would kill to be in, they know things aren't going to get any easier.

Evander Kane gave the media a glimpse into the team's mentality heading into Game 4. The Edmonton Oilers shared the full video on X (formerly Twitter).

"We have an opportunity to take care of home ice here & go up 3-1. The sense of urgency is really high," Kane said.

Kane and the Oilers will host the Dallas Stars in Game 4 on Tuesday night in Edmonton. The puck drops at 8 p.m. EST at Rogers Place.