Evander Kane roasts reporter to his face after Game 3.

If you think players in the National Hockey League aren't paying attention to what is being said about them in the media, think again.

On Friday night, following the conclusion of Game 3 between the Edmonton Oilers and Los Angeles Kings, Oilers star forward Evander Kane gave everyone a very clear reminder of that fact when he took a not so subtle shot at a reporter that had been critical of him earlier in the week.

The shot was subtle enough that most probably didn't even notice that Kane had fired it off in the direction of reporter Mark Spector, but to those paying attention Kane's intent was clear and the smirk his response produced on the face of teammate Zach Hyman also shows that Hyman understood exactly what was going on.

First we're gonna need a little backstory from earlier in the week.

Spector was a guest on the Jason Gregor show this week when he made comments that were critical of Kane, specifically as it pertains to the drama that often surrounds him both on and off the ice.

"As has been the case all of Kane's career, too much drama boys," said Spector. "Too much drama around Evander Kane."

It is unclear if Kane heard the comments himself or if someone else heard them and reported back to Kane about it, but when it was Mark Spector's turn to ask Kane a question after Game 3, Kane shoved his "drama" comments right back in his face.

"Just the drama of it all," said Kane in response to Spector's question. "It just brings the best out of me."

Kane's response was cutting to be sure, but it was the ear to ear smirk on the face of Zach Hyman that really made the chirp from Kane feel that much more poignant. Hyman did the best he could to compose himself, but couldn't contain the grin on his face.