Photo credit: USA Today

The Edmonton Oilers head coach Kris Knoblauch revealed Evander Kane’s status ahead of the fifth game of the Stanley Cup Finals.

Health issues forced Kane to miss the past two games of the Stanley Cup Finals against the Florida Panthers, and before taking the plane to Florida earlier today, Kris Knoblauch revealed that Kane will travel with the team and should be a game-time decision.

The reporter Stephen Whyno made the announcement in a post on X:

“Question: Does Evander Kane go with you to Game 5?

Knoblauch: Yes, Evander is going with us and there’s a possibility, and we’ll just evaluate his health and make a decision then.”

Coach Knoblauch also opened up on his team’s mentality in the playoffs, whether it’s after an 8-1 win or a loss:

“I think our team, obviously after a game like that, they feel good about themselves. They’re feeling confident. But I think even when we were down three games to zero, our team felt confident about how they can play, so I think it’s important during the game that say line one has a strong shift, spends a lot of time in the offensive zone, I think I believe in that momentum. It helps build lines two or three after them just able to sustain that pressure. But things change very quickly.”

The Oilers managed to beat the Panthers 8-1 without Evander Kane, but with him in the lineup, they’d still have more depth on the wings, which is not to be neglected against a team like the Panthers.

Even if Kane hasn’t been able to provide his usual offensive production, he still brings a lot of physicality and intensity to the locker room, which helps build the momentum required to win playoff games.

Do you think Kris Knoblauch would make a mistake by sending Evander Kane on the ice for Game 5 against the Florida Panthers?