Evander Kane scores 3 as Oilers beat Avs 6-3, clinch playoff spot

Fox News Flash top headlines are here. Check out what's clicking on Foxnews.com.

Evander Kane had three goals and an assist, Connor McDavid had three assists and the Edmonton Oilers clinched a playoff berth with a 6-3 victory over the Colorado Avalanche on Friday night.

Evan Bouchard, Kailer Yamamoto and Kris Russell also scored for the Oilers, who have won four in a row and improved to 12-0-1 in their last 13 games on home ice. Mike Smith had 34 saves.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM

"It was a game where we wanted to make a statement and keep the mojo going at home here, and clinch a playoff spot," Smith said Smith. "When you’re playing against the best teams in the league, you want to bring your game to the level that we are capable of."

Kane now has 20 goals in 39 games since joining the Oilers mid-season.

"Any time you join a team halfway through the season, it’s going to take you more than a couple of games to really get your game to where it was maybe the previous year," he said. "I’m continuing to develop some chemistry with my linemates. That takes a little bit of time, but I really like where things are at right now and I’ll just try to keep building on that."

Edmonton Oilers' Evander Kane (91) celebrates a goal against the Colorado Avalanche during the second period of an NHL hockey game in Edmonton, Alberta, Friday, April 22, 2022.  (Jason Franson/The Canadian Press via AP)

Valeri Nichushkin had two goals and Nathan MacKinnon also scored for the Western Conference-leading Avalanche. Darcy Kuemper finished with 21 saves. Colorado has dropped three in a row and lost for just the second time this season when leading after the first period.

"I think we had a handful of guys playing hard and