After missing almost 10 months of hockey while recovering from multiple surgeries, Edmonton Oilers forward Evander Kane was thrust into their against the Los Angeles Kings in Game 2.

And before the playoffs even began, I wrote a piece speculating which Oilers could be X-factors against the Kings, looking at whose impact could tilt the series and come up clutch when it matters most. However, I didn’t include Kane in that list, and there was skepticism among hockey pundits about his ability to make a difference in the playoffs after being out of action for so long.

At 33 years old, and with the wear and tear that comes from his physical style of play throughout his career — not to mention having not played hockey in a while — it was fair to assume that, heading into the L.A. series, Kane’s timing might be off and he might not necessarily have the wheels or the hands, and that his impact might top out at being a hard forechecker.

Yet, Kane is silencing the non-believers. He looks refreshed, and he’s not only bringing the physicality, feistiness, and bold bravado we’ve seen from him before, but he’s also scoring timely goals and turning heads as a surprise X-factor against L.A.

Kane didn’t dress for Game 1 against L.A., but he made his return to hockey after nearly 10 months in Game 2. He played 14:46, threw four hits, took a cross-checking penalty, and mostly looked like he was shaking off the rust. But by his second game in Game 3, he was quite the difference maker in his 13 minutes of ice time.

The rugged forward assisted on Connor Brown’s tying goal in the second period, and he came up clutch again in the third, parking his body in front of the net, hacking and whacking at the puck until it went in, tying the game with four Kings surrounding him.

In what may go down as the series-defining moment, Kings coach Jim Hiller challenged the play, arguing that Kane had interfered with goaltender Darcy Kuemper. The challenge was unsuccessful, Kane’s goal stood, and the Oilers were awarded a power play, where it took Evan Bouchard just 10 seconds to bury the game-winner en route to a 7–4 win.

Despite going pointless in Game 4, Kane played 23:22 minutes — the fourth-most of any Oiler, and I must say, not bad for a guy who missed 10 months of hockey. Then, in Game 5, he brought that X-factor once again. It all began near the end of the first period, when he got into a scrum with Vladislav Gavrikov after the Kings’ D-man took liberties with Connor McDavid while he was down, stepping in to come to the aid of his captain.

But when the Kings went up 1-0 early in the second period, Kane took a pass from John Klingberg and fired a quick shot that deflected off Gavrikov — letting karma do its thing — before finally beating Kuemper, who had been a one-man wall of denial until that moment. On that note, Kane’s Game 5 tally tied him with former Oilers great Ryan Smyth for sixth all-time in playoff goals by an Oilers winger, with 22.

The 33-year-old also had a few more standout moments in Game 5. Halfway through the third period, the 6-foot-5, 221-pound Joel Edmundson lined up to deliver a big hit to Kane as he was carrying the puck up ice. However, the Oilers forward braced for impact and won that mano a mano encounter, sending the Kings’ D-man to the ice in a ‘get out of my way’ type of manner.

Also, late in the third period, with the Kings pressuring for the equalizer, Kane went hard on the backcheck and was crosschecked into the Oilers’ net by Brandt Clarke, a dangerous play that went uncalled. That said, there were a couple of things I liked about Kane on that play: A) he was the first forward back, showing his commitment to defence, and B) despite receiving a brutal cross-check that went unpenalized, he kept his composure for the most part.

If this had been a midseason game, we might have seen Kane, who once pummelled Keegan Kolesar during a playoff game, retaliate with some punches on Clarke. But instead, he refrained from taking a penalty, putting the team first and avoiding putting the Oilers down a man at such a crucial point in the game.

To cap it all off, perhaps one of Kane’s finest plays, aside from his goal, came with just 3:18 left in the game. As Kevin Fiala was loading up for a point-blank shot, the Oilers forward stayed with him and made a potentially game-saving block.

Another difference Kane has made since his return is giving the Oilers a real scoring threat on the second line of him, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Zach Hyman, while the top line remains loaded up with the dynamic duo.

That said, there were stretches during the regular season where Nugent-Hopkins and Hyman couldn’t quite gel offensively with Nugent-Hopkins centring the line, but it seems perhaps Kane was the final piece needed to make that line click.

The trio has played together for the past three games, and while they haven’t found the back of the net yet, they’ve come very close on several occasions. In over 27 minutes of ice time, they’ve had a 27-11 shot advantage and an 11-4 edge in high-danger chances, according to Natural Stat Trick. Moreover, last game, the Oilers recorded 17 net-front shots, the most in a regulation-time playoff game over the past nine postseasons, and that trio had a few of those chances, as they’ve been aggressive in crashing and banging near the front of the net since being put together.

On top of that, perhaps Kane’s tough, physical brand of hockey (13 hits in the series) might’ve rubbed off on Hyman, as he’s thrown an impressive 27 hits over the last three games, many of which have sent Kings players crashing to the ice. So not only is that line creating scoring chances, but Nugent-Hopkins also has the Oil Country version of the ‘Bash Brothers’ beside him, delivering crushing hits on both sides.

Kane isn’t just showing up to the games — he’s giving the Oilers the swagger they’ve been missing. From sticking up for his teammates to knocking the opposition’s D-men on their backs and scoring timely goals, he’s made quite an impact, and it’s clear his teammates are playing with a little extra swagger of their own now, too.

By and large, Kane is made for the spotlight, and when the pressure’s on, he thrives. That said, in the upcoming elimination Game 6, I’d imagine Rogers Place will be treated to the best version of Evander Kane we’ve seen all series.