Buffalo Sabres Preseason: Evander Kane Stands Out
The Buffalo Sabres faced off against the Ottawa Senators last night, and it was a game that was highly anticipated. The bigger names on the Sabres roster that were recently acquired were all playing, and fans finally got to see how they looked after a long and stressful offseason. Ryan O’Reilly and Robin Lehner played decently, but that real standout was controversial player Evander Kane.
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Since he was traded for early last season, there has been a lot of controversy surrounding Evander Kane. He had a number of people who were doubting his social skills, his team play, and his potential individual production. Last night Kane had his first chance to address all of the doubters that were waiting at their keyboards to criticize him. Had his performance been different from what it was, I expect that there would have been a litter of news articles about his poor play and conduct, however, Kane silenced all of his nay sayers for the time bing.
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Evander Kane is known a goal scoring forward, and many expect him to raise the offensive bar on the Sabres roster. In a recent interview, Kane said that he wants to score 40 or 50 goals because he has already scored 30 goals before (NHL.com). After his display against the Ottawa Senators, he may have a real chance to do so.
Last night Kane scored 2 goals, which were the only two scored by Buffalo. The first goal was a laser shot from the left wing that went in far side, and the second goal was a one timed blast that scored five-hole on the Ottawa goaltender. One thing was surely evident by these; Kane has not lost his scoring touch since going down with his surgery injury.
The Buffalo Sabres have been lacking a pure goal scorer in recent years (with Thomas Vanek being arguably the most recent one). The most recent person to score more than 30 goals for the Sabres was, in fact, Thomas Vanek. Is Evander Kane the new goal scoring forward that the Sabres have been lacking?
Some would argue that Tyler Ennis or Matt Moulson have done well and could hit the 30 goal marks soon enough. While that may be true, Evander Kane has proven that he has the raw offensive talents to score a minimum of 30 goals this season.
The newfound offense would be a highly welcomed change from the past two offensively starved years the Sabres have suffered through. Kane’s elite level shooting ability and finishing ability are going to change the way the Sabres win games. No longer will it be a grind to score just one goal, the Sabres should be able to score 2 goals relatively easily, with Kane either being the primary scorer, or drawing enough attention to let his line mates put up points.
For now the nay sayers are quiet on what they have been saying about Kane, and time will tell if he can keep up his drive. I have faith that he will put up 30+ goals this season. Will he hit 40 though? He certainly has the scoring ability to do so.
Next: Offensive Chemistry Is Key At Sabres Training Camp
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