For the second straight series, the San Jose Sharks will play Game 7 on home ice. In the first round, it was Logan Couture who stepped up, leading a late charge to secure the Sharks a comeback win. If the Sharks take Game 7 again, who’s most likely to step up and be the hero?

The process related numbers point to Evander Kane!

With his size and strength, Kane makes his presence felt in front of the net where he gets the majority of his shots.

Kane’s only been able to find the back of the net once in this series but as expected, it came on a rebound right in front of the net.

Game 7’s tend to be tight games where no one wants to make a mistake. A garbage goal could be the difference maker and Kane is a prime candidate given his net-front ability. He only has one goal in the series but his -2.6 actual to expected goals, which is tied for fifth worst in the playoffs, means he should have 3 o 4 goals by now, based on shot quality and quantity.

The Sharks didn’t get any goals from their forwards in Game 6 so getting some production from a player like Kane could make a huge difference in whether or not they can keep their Cup hopes alive. Kane loves to muck it up in front of the net, if he scores tonight that’s exactly where it’ll happen.

 

(Photo by Brandon Magnus/NHLI via Getty Images)