NHL forward Evander Kane is urging Edmonton fans to give him a chance.

The NHL is in the most difficult position among the four major North American professional sports leagues on vaccinations because seven of its teams are based in Canada.

EDMONTON, AB - FEBRUARY 17: Connor McDavid #97 of the Edmonton Oilers skates the puck against Mark Scheifele #55 of the Winnipeg Jets at Rogers Place on February 17, 2021 in Edmonton, Canada. (Photo by Codie McLachlan/Getty Images)EDMONTON, AB – Oilers captain Connor McDavid has joined an elite club. McDavid notched his 500th NHL point with a first-period assist in Wednesday night's 3-2 win over the Winnipeg Jets. The 24-year-old center, from Richmond Hill, Ontario, is the 21st player in NHL history to accomplish the feat before his 25th birthday. McDavid now has 171 goals and 330 assists in his career and leads the NHL in points this season with nine goals and 22 assists in 18 games.

In a unique situation like this, youre going from not playing to playing playoff-style hockey, so youve got to embrace the grind mentally, physically.This is a different kind of grind after four-plus months off the ice. Eddie Olczyk won and lost one best-of-five series early in his playing career with Chicago and remembers the nerves of being 18 and 19 years old in those moments. Carolina coach Rod Brind'Amour understands that urgency despite being drafted two years after the NHL moved to all best-of-seven series. His Hurricanes face the Rangers, whose president, John Davidson, won the only two best-of-five series he played in with New York. In a short series, Quenneville said, anything can happen.___AP Hockey Writer John Wawrow contributed to this report.