SAN JOSE http://www.officialavalanche.com/authentic-adidas-patrick-roy-jersey , Calif. (AP) Evander Kane followed a similar timeline after each of his first eight NHL regular seasons.Pack up the locker, say goodbye to teammates and get frustrated watching other players compete in the playoffs rather than getting his own opportunity on the big stage.A late-season trade to San Jose changed all that for Kane, who is excited for his first chance at the postseason after 574 career games when the Sharks open their first-round series in Anaheim on Thursday night.”I’ve said it in the past: I think I’m a playoff player,” Kane said Monday. ”I’ve watched the playoffs and when I look at the style of play and it’s something I was jealous because I wasn’t involved in it. Now I get that opportunity and I have to back those words up.”Kane has had plenty of personal success since making his debut for Atlanta as an 18-year-old in 2009 after being the fourth overall pick that year. But his teams never had success in Atlanta, Winnipeg or Buffalo and he always spent the spring as a spectator rather than as a participant.He joins a franchise that has been a playoff regular, making the postseason for the 13th time in the past 14 seasons under general manager Doug Wilson, including a run to the Stanley Cup Final two years ago.”Fans and players in this organization are spoiled when it comes to that,” center Logan Couture said. ”You make the playoffs 13 of 14 years – obviously it starts at the top with Doug and the coaching staffs they’ve brought in here. It’s pretty remarkable really to make the playoffs that many times. I missed it once and it’s devastating when you miss it. We’re lucky to play for this organization.”That’s why Kane was so excited about the trade to San Jose on Feb. 26 for two draft picks and a prospect.Kane has made a big impact on the Sharks since arriving. He stepped right onto the top line with captain Joe Pavelski and has used his speed and physical play to deliver nine goals and five assists in 17 games.His presence sparked an eight-game winning streak in March that helped San Jose clinch a playoff berth and he has helped fill a scoring void created when Patrick Marleau left as a free agent for Toronto last summer and then Joe Thornton went down with a knee injury in January.”In the short period he’s been here, he’s brought speed which backs teams off, he’s brought a physical presence Womens Samuel Girard Jersey , which keeps some people honest,” coach Peter DeBoer said. ”For me, the biggest thing is he’s probably added a goal a night for us. When Patty Marleau left, and we asked guys to take a step, you’re not scoring as much as you normally would, and there was a lot of 2-1 games and we found a way to battle things out. Eventually, Jumbo going down, it started to catch up with us. That extra goal a game that he’s added to our lineup, whether it’s him scoring himself or creating a goal, that’s a difference in this league.”Kane was hampered late in the season by an undisclosed injury that forced him to miss two games before returning for the season finale against Minnesota on Saturday.Kane didn’t look like his usual self that game but said it was important to get rid of some ”cobwebs” before the playoffs started and he gets the chance to back up his belief that he can thrive at this time of year.”It’s a fast Semyon Varlamov Jersey , hard-nosed game,” he said. ”The intensity ramps up and the style of play. It’s hard to score. There are a lot of 2-1 games, 3-2 games, and you have to find different ways to score. I’ve always prided myself on being able to score in different ways and I think the physical element as well. That’s a big part of the playoffs. Guys who have 20 hits all year the next thing you know they have 20 hits in two games. It’s definitely a different animal and I’m looking forward to experiencing it.”NOTES: DeBoer said he expects all his players to be available for Game 1 on Thursday with the exception of Thornton, who has been out since Jan. 23.— PHILADELPHIA (AP) Petr Mrazek is going from being a backup goaltender on a losing team to a starting job for a playoff contender.The Philadelphia Flyers acquired Mrazek from the Detroit Red Wings for two conditional draft picks on Monday night, a day after losing their second goalie to injury in less than 10 days.Flyers general manager Ron Hextall made the move after backup Michal Neuvirth was injured in Sunday’s win at the New York Rangers. Hextall said late Monday night that Neuvirth will miss several weeks. Starter Brian Elliott had core muscle surgery last Tuesday and is expected to miss up to 6 weeks.Article continues below ...”We’re excited to have obtained Petr Mrazek,” Hextall said. ”Petr is a proven NHL goaltender, and given the situation we’re in, we needed a proven goaltender and we got one.”The surprising Flyers are tied for third place in the Metropolitan Division and sixth in the Eastern Conference. The Red Wings have the fourth-fewest point total in the East and are looking to move more players before next week’s trade deadline.Mrazek was 8-7-3 with a 2.89 goals-against average and a .910 save percentage this season for Detroit while playing behind Jimmy Howard. He’s 72-58-20 with a 2.60 GAA and a .912 save percentage in 166 appearances in six seasons for the Red Wings.Mrazek had his best season two years ago, going 27-16-6 with a 2.33 GAA and a .921 save percentage. He’s 4-6 in 10 career playoff starts with a 1.88 GAA and a .931 save percentage.”We know how capable he is Sergei Boikov Jersey , and his experience in the NHL, playing in a high-pressure market in Detroit, went into our decision,” Hextall said. ”We felt like we had to get a guy that has a proven track record.”The Flyers sent a conditional fourth-round draft pick in 2018 and a conditional third-round draft pick in 2019 to Detroit.The first pick becomes a third if the Flyers make the playoffs and Mrazek wins five games in the regular season. That same pick can move to a second if Philadelphia wins two rounds of the playoffs and Mrazek wins six games. The additional third-rounder goes to Detroit in 2019 if Flyers re-sign him. Mrazek is set to become a restricted free agent after this season.Alex Lyon made 25 saves in relief to earn his first career win after replacing Neuvirth against the Rangers. Lyon passed up his senior season at Yale to sign with the Flyers in April 2016. He played in 47 games for the AHL’s Lehigh Valley Phantoms last season and 26 more this season. He’s 1-1 in four appearances for Philadelphia.The Flyers also activated goaltender Anthony Stolarz and sent him to the minors before making the move. Stolarz hasn’t played this season following surgery to repair the meniscus in his left knee in September.”We’re in a tough situation – you lose your top two goalies when you’re fighting for a playoff spot, and our players have worked hard for a long time now, and I didn’t feel like it was fair to not have a proven NHL goaltender for this team,” Hextall said.—