SAN JOSE, Calif. _ Evander Kane received a warm greeting at the airport after his cross-country flight from Buffalo touched down in San Jose.
"Jumbo picked me up," Kane said Tuesday morning of Joe Thornton, who went to the airport late Monday night. "That was real nice of him, especially with the injury that he has. It's good to see a familiar face right off the hop. A nice welcome."
The hospitality didn't end there for Kane, who did his part Tuesday night to lead the San Jose Sharks to a 5-2 win over the Edmonton Oilers.
Kane was cheered when he was shown on the JumboTron inside SAP Center early in the first period, received more adulation after assisting on the Sharks' first two goals, and had fans out of their seats after a skirmish with Matt Benning midway through the second period.
Through 40 minutes, Kane also had two shots, three hits and two penalty minutes.
In other words, he was noticeable, particularly in one-game changing sequence early in the second period.
Kane checked Benning off the puck in the Oilers' zone to the right of goalie Cam Talbot. Benning went down in a heap on the questionable hit, Kane got the puck back and sent it toward the net, where Joe Pavelski deflected it in for his 16th goal of the season at the 1:20 mark.
It was the first of four unanswered goals for the Sharks, who ended a three-game losing skid and begin their six-game homestand on a positive note. Pavelski had a goal and two assists and Martin Jones made 24 saves.
Justin Braun, Timo Meier and Logan Couture also scored in the second period for San Jose, which held on to second place in the Pacific Division. Chris Tierney added an empty-netter in the final minute to round out the scoring.
Kane was acquired Monday from Buffalo in a deal just before the NHL trade deadline that saw the Sharks send two conditional draft picks to the Sabres and center Danny O'Regan,
"I've been a healthy scratch the last two games, so just trying to get the legs going a little bit," Kane said when asked what his approach might be in his Sharks debut. "Get the hands going and just do what I do best and hopefully the rest will take care of itself."
Sharks coach Pete DeBoer said he'd use Kane in all situations, including potentially the first power play unit. Kane averaged over 19 minutes of ice time per game the last five-plus season, including 19:23 in 61 games with the Sabres this season.
"We're going to play him," DeBoer said. "He's going to play as much as he can handle and as much as he does to help us win."
The Sharks were looking any type of offensive spark after they scored just seven goals _ all at even strength _ on their just-completed 1-2-1 road trip. The Sharks had not scored with the man advantage in nine straight games, going 0-for-20 in that time.
Kane, 26, should help. He entered Tuesday already ranking second on the Sharks with 20 goals this season, and nine of his 40 points on the year have come on the power play.
"Love the idea of what he brings to our group and what our group looks like with him in the lineup," DeBoer said of Kane. "But like I told our players today: It's one thing to like what it looks like on paper, it's another for it to translate into wins and a playoff run.
"That's on us to make sure that happens."
Kane has all the motivation he needs.
Besides playing for a new contract _ he's slated to become an unrestricted free agent this summer _ Kane wants to help the Sharks get into the playoffs, and in the process, show everyone that he can seamlessly fit into a new environment.
"It's just nice to play some meaningful hockey," Kane said. "Every game is very important, every point is very important. I'm looking forward to tonight and moving forward here, playing some playoff-style hockey down the stretch to be able to get into the playoffs."
After Tuesday, the Sharks continue their homestand against Chicago, Columbus, St. Louis, Washington and Detroit over the span of 13 days. That doesn't guarantee much in terms of points, but it will be nice for the Sharks to get a chance to catch their breath between games.
"We've got 19 games left, 12 at home," DeBoer said. "We've got a nice schedule, only two back-to-backs. We've got some practice time. We control our own destiny here. We've got to come and get the job done."
_Willie O'Ree, the first black player to reach the NHL, dropped the ceremonial first puck. O'Ree, 82, was the Bay Area in celebration of the 60th anniversary of being the first black player to play an NHL game and as part of the NHL's Hockey Is For Everyone month.
