The Buffalo Sabres were outplayed in Big D, but Evander Kane is showing why the Sabres went out and got him – and why they should keep him.
When the Buffalo Sabres started their 2016-17 season, there were plenty of fans who were waiting for Evander Kane to fail.
Public perception seemed to have Kane pegged as a troubled player and possible locker room cancer, and who could blame for fans for thinking that, based on some of the shenanigans Kane had pulled, both as a player with the Winnipeg Jets and since being traded to the Buffalo Sabres.
Making matters worse, Kane cracked a handful of ribs in just the first game of the season, missed some time, and then struggled to score. It took Kane 13 games to find the back of the net, but then a funny thing happened: until failing to score during Buffalo’s recent stretch of games that featured Detroit, Montreal and Nashville, Kane had not strung together three straight goalless since scoring his first goal on December 3.
Tonight in Dallas, Kane regained his scoring touch, scoring two unassisted goals against the Stars in order to keep the Buffalo Sabres in a game they had no business really being in. Kane got the scoring started by flashing some blistering speed as he streaked down the left wing to rip one past Antti Niemi:
I don’t know about you, but that is the sort of speed I want streaking down the ice alongside Jack Eichel and Sam Reinhart. Instead, we’re getting Marcus Foligno . . . but I digress.
Kane’s goal got the Sabres off to a nice start, but this is the Buffalo Sabres we’re talking about here, so naturally the team dozed off and managed to find itself down 4-2 toward the end of the second period. And who came to the teams’ rescue? Evander Kane, with one of those “When you’re, you’re hot” kind of goals that pulled Buffalo within one:
That deflection off of Dallas Stars defenseman John Klingberg may have been the universe’s way of repaying the Sabres for Cody Franson’s own-goal earlier in the second, but you still have to credit Kane for working hard on the boards and making something happen for his team.
For those of you keeping score at home, Kane added an assist in Buffalo’s 4-3 loss to the Stars, which gives him 6 points in the last 3 games and 7 in his last 4, bringing his season points total to 23, 6th-best on the team. More impressive? Kane’s 14 goals have him just one behind Kyle Okposo for the team lead.
And some Sabres fans still want to trade this guy? Hmmmm.
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It was understandable why Buffalo Sabres fans were still undecided about Evander Kane’s future in the 716 before the season started, but at this point, it’s hard to argue that he is not worth protecting in the expansion draft and holding onto for the remainder of his contract. The man is in a groove, he’s generating offense, and he the way he is playing lately, he is fun to watch. I know the Sabres need help on defense, but with a top-6 that is still a forward or two away from being a legitimate top-6, Kane has so far shown that he is a keeper.