5 players who have wowed us so far in the Stanley Cup playoffs

3. Evander Kane, San Jose Sharks

Evander Kane is going to lead the San Jose Sharks to the Stanley Cup Final, isn’t he?

Okay, the road through the West will be tough, but there’s no question Kane has been the missing ingredient for the Sharks through the end of the regular season and to begin the postseason. After acquiring him at the trade deadline, Kane rewarded the Sharks with 14 points in 17 games leading up to San Jose’s playoff berth.

Oh, and about that. This is Kane’s first postseason ever. Ever. After eight years.

He certainly took advantage of the opportunity in the Sharks’ first game against the Anaheim Ducks, two goals in San Jose’s 3-0 shut out. The two lamp lighters were less than seven minutes apart, the first with Kane essentially on an island off a one-timer from captain Joe Pavelski and the second on a 2-on-1 break.

I just can’t believe we’ve missed out on eight years of playoff hockey from this guy.