SEATTLE — Evander Kane stressed the importance of what it means to be a volume shooter with the great irony being that he only needed just three shots for a hat trick.
The consistently prolific winger’s hat trick led the Edmonton Oilers to a 6-4 victory Saturday against the Seattle Kraken. For Kane, this was his sixth career hat trick and his second this season.
“It’s nice to help contribute to an important win, obviously,” said Kane, who scored three times Nov. 1 in a 7-4 win against the Nashville Predators, as well. “It’s big points with the division so tight. I’ve been in and out of the lineup with injuries all year, so just trying to get into some rhythm heading into the playoffs and tonight definitely did that.”
What makes seeing Kane’s latest exploits potentially promising for the Oilers is the context it provides. Kane indeed has endured an injury-riddled season that began with him missing more than nine weeks after his wrist was deeply cut by a skate blade in November only to return in January before sustaining another injury in February that kept him sidelined until March 9.
Kane’s first goal was a wrist shot from the top of the left faceoff circle that beat Kraken goaltender Philipp Grubauer, who left the game in the second period with a non-COVID illness, on the Oilers’ first shot of the game.
His second goal was a by-product of a loose puck recovered by Oilers captain Connor McDavid, who fed a centering, cross-ice pass that Kane converted on a one-timer for a 3-1 lead with 19:17 left in the second period.
The Kraken rallied to cut the lead to 4-3 until the third period when Kane flew down the left side of the ice and fired another wrist shot that sailed over the glove of Kraken goalie Martin Jones for a 5-3 advantage with 9:40 remaining in the game.
“It’s just about getting opportunities and putting myself in position to get pucks — shooting the puck more, “Kane said. “I only had three shots tonight. I’m a volume shooter and getting more shots gives you a better opportunity to get more pucks in the net.”
Part of what makes the Oilers one of the challengers to win the Western Conference is that they lead the NHL with 3.91 goals per game. It’s an attack that’s led by McDavid and Leon Draisaitl, who are first and second in scoring. Yet one of the details that can possibly make the Oilers even more formidable is when they can tap into their players such as Kane, an eight-time 20-goal scorer who came into this season with four straight campaigns of more than 20 goals.
Injuries are why Kane has been held to just 13 goals and 24 points in 29 games. But the idea the Oilers have another top-six forward who is averaging 0.83 points per contest in addition to what they have received from others such as Zach Hyman and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins adds to the belief they could be one of the more dangerous teams to face once the postseason starts.
“Happy for him. He’s a warrior. He plays through injuries,” Oilers coach Jay Woodcroft said. “He’s just getting up and running again because of his injuries and it’s been a start-stop season for him. But he’s been all around the puck in any game that he’s played and for three of them to go in tonight, I was happy.”
Then there’s what this latest win means for the Oilers in terms of playoff seeding in what has been a rather chaotic Western Conference landscape. Any team that is either occupying a playoff spot or is trying to chase one down knows how quickly the dynamic can change.
A team that can lead their division or the conference one week could be in a wild-card spot barely seven days later because the margins are that tight.
Entering Saturday, the Kraken and Oilers were separated by a single point with the Oilers holding onto the third Pacific Division playoff spot while the Kraken had one of the West’s two wild-card openings.
Kane’s efforts mean the Oilers have won seven of their past 10 games to build what is now a three-point edge ahead of the Kraken while being four points behind the Vegas Golden Knights for the division lead and the best record in the conference.
In terms of the Kraken, the NHL’s newest team are two points ahead of the Winnipeg Jets, who are in the second wild-card spot and five points clear of the Calgary Flames and Predators.
“What we do in Edmonton is we try to focus on our daily process,” Woodcroft said. “We don’t standings watch; we don’t tie ourselves in knots with who won last night and who didn’t win and what that means for us. We just want to be the best we can be that day and take care of that day’s business. I think by having that type of mindset, you don’t spend a lot of energy worrying about things beyond your control.
“You worry about what is in control and tonight, our job or task was to get two points in a tough building and we were able to do that.”
Why he could win: Olson is a late replacement for Acuna as the home team’s representative at this year’s Derby. Apart from being the Braves’ first baseman, however, Olson also was born in Atlanta and grew up a Braves fan, giving him some extra motivation. The left-handed slugger led the majors in home runs in 2023 — his 54 round-trippers that season also set a franchise record — and he remains among the best in the game when it comes to exit velo and hard-hit rate.
Why he might not: The home-field advantage can also be a detriment if a player gets too hyped up in the first round. See Julio Rodriguez in Seattle in 2023, when he had a monster first round, with 41 home runs, but then tired out in the second round.
2025 home runs: 36 | Longest: 440 feet
Why he could win: It’s the season of Cal! The Mariners’ catcher is having one of the greatest slugging first halves in MLB history, as he’s been crushing mistakes all season . His easy raw power might be tailor-made for the Derby — he ranks in the 87th percentile in average exit velocity and delivers the ball, on average, at the optimal home run launch angle of 23 degrees. His calm demeanor might also be perfect for the contest as he won’t get too amped up.
Why he might not: He’s a catcher — and one who has carried a heavy workload, playing in all but one game this season. This contest is as much about stamina as anything, and whether Raleigh can carry his power through three rounds would be a concern. No catcher has ever won the Derby, with only Ivan Rodriguez back in 2005 even reaching the finals.
2025 home runs: 24 | Longest: 451 feet
Why he could win: He’s big, he’s strong, he’s young, he’s awesome, he might or might not be able to leap tall buildings in a single bound. This is the perfect opportunity for Wood to show his talent on the national stage, and he wouldn’t be the first young player to star in the Derby. He ranks in the 97th percentile in average exit velocity and 99th percentile in hard-hit rate, so he can still muscle the ball out in BP even if he slightly mishits it. His long arms might be viewed as a detriment, but remember the similarly tall Aaron Judge won in 2017.
Why he might not: His natural swing isn’t a pure uppercut — he has a pretty low average launch angle of just 6.2 degrees — so we’ll see how that plays in a rapid-fire session. In real games, his power is primarily to the opposite field, but in a Home Run Derby you can get more cheapies pulling the ball down the line.
2025 home runs: 20 | Longest: 479 feet
Why he could win: Buxton’s raw power remains as impressive as nearly any hitter in the game. He crushed a 479-foot home run earlier this season and has four others of at least 425 feet. Indeed, his “no doubter” percentage — home runs that would be out of all 30 parks based on distance — is 75%, the highest in the majors among players with more than a dozen home runs. His bat speed ranks in the 89th percentile. In other words, two tools that could translate to a BP lightning show.
Why he might not: Buxton is 31 and the Home Run Derby feels a little more like a younger man’s competition. Teoscar Hernandez did win last year at age 31, but before that, the last winner older than 29 was David Ortiz in 2010, and that was under much different rules than are used now.
2025 home runs: 16 | Longest: 463 feet
Why he could win: If you drew up a short list of players everyone wants to see in the Home Run Derby, Cruz would be near the top. He has the hardest-hit ball of the 2025 season, and the hardest ever tracked by Statcast, a 432-foot missile of a home run with an exit velocity of 122.9 mph. He also crushed a 463-foot home run in Anaheim that soared way beyond the trees in center field. With his elite bat speed — 100th percentile — Cruz has the ability to awe the crowd with a potentially all-time performance.
Why he might not: Like all first-time contestants, can he stay within himself and not get too caught up in the moment? He has a long swing, which will result in some huge blasts, but might not be the most efficient for a contest like this one, where the more swings a hitter can get in before the clock expires, the better.
2025 home runs: 23 | Longest: 425 feet
Why he could win: Although Caminero was one of the most hyped prospects entering 2024, everyone kind of forgot about him heading into this season since he didn’t immediately rip apart the majors as a rookie. In his first full season, however, he has showed off his big-time raw power — giving him a chance to become just the third player to reach 40 home runs in his age-21 season. He has perhaps the quickest bat in the majors, ranking in the 100th percentile in bat speed, and his top exit velocity ranks in the top 15. That could translate to a barrage of home runs.
Why he might not: In game action, Caminero does hit the ball on the ground quite often — in fact, he’s on pace to break Jim Rice’s record for double plays grounded into in a season. If he gets out of rhythm, that could lead to a lot of low line drives during the Derby instead of fly balls that clear the fences.
2025 home runs: 19 | Longest: 440 feet
Why he could win: The Athletics slugger has been one of the top power hitters in the majors for three seasons now and is on his way to a third straight 30-homer season. Rooker has plus bat speed and raw power, but his biggest strength is an optimal average launch angle (19 degrees in 2024, 15 degrees this season) that translates to home runs in game action. That natural swing could be picture perfect for the Home Run Derby. He also wasn’t shy about saying he wanted to participate — and maybe that bodes well for his chances.
Why he might not: Rooker might not have quite the same raw power as some of the other competitors, as he has just one home run longer than 425 feet in 2025. But that’s a little nitpicky, as 11 of his home runs have still gone 400-plus feet. He competed in the college home run derby in Omaha while at Mississippi State in 2016 and finished fourth.
2025 home runs: 17 | Longest: 442 feet
Why he could win: Chisholm might not be the most obvious name to participate, given his career high of 24 home runs, but he has belted 17 already in 2025 in his first 61 games after missing some time with an injury. He ranks among the MLB leaders in a couple of home run-related categories, ranking in the 96th percentile in expected slugging percentage and 98th percentile in barrel rate. His raw power might not match that of the other participants, but he’s a dead-pull hitter who has increased his launch angle this season, which might translate well to the Derby, even if he won’t be the guy hitting the longest home runs.
Why he might not: Most of the guys who have won this have been big, powerful sluggers. Chisholm is listed at 5-foot-11, 184 pounds, and you have to go back to Miguel Tejada in 2004 to find the last player under 6 foot to win.
CINCINNATI — Cincinnati Reds right fielder Jake Fraley was activated from the 10-day injured list on Saturday.
He had injured his right shoulder while trying to make a diving catch June 23 against the New York Yankees.
An MRI revealed a partially torn labrum that will eventually require surgery. Fraley received a cortisone shot and will try to play through it for the rest of the season.