Edmonton Oilers forward Evander Kane game-time decision vs. Seattle Kraken due to hand injury

The Edmonton Oilers may be without Evander Kane’s services Thursday night, as the rugged winger is reportedly dealing with a hand injury.

Elevated to the Oilers’ second line in their 4-2 win over the Toronto Maple Leafs Tuesday night, Kane was injured in that game when he blocked a shot, head coach Kris Knoblauch said.

“Kane blocked a shot yesterday, we hope to have him back for tomorrow,” Knoblauch said Wednesday. “He’ll need to be reevaluated in the morning, but we’re very hopeful he’ll be playing.”

The 32-year-old has appeared in 39 games for the team this season, scoring 14 goals and 25 points, averaging 17 minutes and 20 seconds of ice time per night. Under Knoblauch, however, Kane has seen his role diminished, playing 16:56 per night, down from the 18:37 he played under Jay Woodcroft in the first 13 games of the season.

Along with the new hand injury, Kane has been dealing with a lingering groin issue, something that has hampered him throughout the course of the year.

In other news, Sam Gagner is set to return to the Oilers’ lineup on Thursday night after working his way back from injury. Gagner, who has four goals and nine points in 18 games this season, last played on Dec. 21st against the New Jersey Devils, where while scoring two assists, he also took an errant stick in the face.

It left him with concussion-like symptoms, but Knoblauch said Gagner has been cleared to return to play, and will draw back in on the Oilers’ fourth line.

And while there was speculation during the 10-game stretch Gagner missed that it could’ve been due to coaching decisions, those can be put to bed.

The Oilers are set to take on the Kraken Thursday night, having won seven of nine games against them since joining the league. In those, the Oilers have outscored the Kraken 41-26, with four or more goal goals in all seven of the wins.

Zach Laing is the Nation Network’s news director and senior columnist. He can be followed on Twitter at @zjlaing, or reached by email at zach@thenationnetwork.com.