**EDMONTON, Alberta (AP) —** Kris Knoblauch had a five-minute conversation with Evander Kane before the Edmonton Oilers’ practice, after which Kane left the ice.
Kane has been struggling with a sports hernia, limiting him to just one point in eight games. With the Oilers down 2-0 to the Florida Panthers in the Stanley Cup Final, there’s consideration of benching the 32-year-old winger for the first time this postseason in Game 3 on Thursday night.
“Evander’s a significant asset for his physicality and hits,” Knoblauch said on Wednesday. “Making these decisions is challenging as a coaching staff.”
The NHL is known for players playing through injuries to compete for the Stanley Cup. In 1964, Bobby Baun scored for Toronto in overtime after breaking his ankle earlier in the game. More recent examples include Patrice Bergeron playing with a punctured lung in 2013, Zdeno Chara finishing the 2019 final with a broken jaw, and Florida’s Matthew Tkachuk scoring with a broken sternum last year before being sidelined.
Kane’s situation is similar to Tkachuk’s last year, which Panthers coach Paul Maurice had to eventually manage.
Tkachuk broke his sternum in Game 3 against Vegas and felt he “earned the right” to play in Game 4. Maurice said, “He wasn’t playing the next one. He had three good chances to score, but he couldn’t because of his injury. It was all he could do.”
Kane played over 10 minutes in Game 3 and was on the ice for two Panthers goals. Despite not practicing throughout the postseason, he has been eager to stay in the lineup.
“Lots of guys are going through different things,” Kane said. “A commentator once said, if you’re on the field, everyone expects you to perform at your best. There’s reality, but as an athlete, you expect that from yourself.”
Knoblauch admitted earlier that Kane has been limited. Deciding between an injured key player’s effectiveness and making a change is tough.
“You look at their contributions on the ice and their leadership,” Knoblauch said. “Every player’s different. Are they contributing to the penalty kill? Scoring key goals? Providing physicality?”
The Oilers have depth with 14 forwards in the playoffs.
“Kris and the coaching staff have made various decisions, and everyone’s stepped up,” captain Connor McDavid said. “It’s unfortunate some players can’t play, but everyone understands our situation and is contributing.”
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