Edmonton Oilers forward Conor Brown is now available for Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final against the Florida Panthers.
Brown, who hasn’t featured since Game 3 of the Western Conference Finals Series with the Dallas Stars, will return in Game 1 of Wednesday’s Championship Round.
The 31-year-old finished the game on May 25th with a private injury after a massive hit from Stars defender Alexander Petrovich.
The Oilers will receive a serious injury boost in Brown’s comeback days after news that Starwinger Zach Heyman will miss the rest of the postseason with a wrist injury.
Brown came out of the final two games of the series as Edmonton closed it out in style with a 4-1 victory to book tickets for the Stanley Cup.
“I feel good, Brown said after returning to practice on Sunday. “It’s nice to practice with the team. Obviously, I don’t practice much. It’s good to go ahead with that. I’m excited.”
In the past 14 playoff games, Brown has scored eight points from five goals and three assists. In the regular season, he tallied 30 points and 17 assists from 13 goals in all 82 games.
Watch: Alexander Petrovich sends Conor Brown to the ice with a hard hit
Connor Brown went to the dressing room after receiving this hit from Alex Petrovich pic.twitter.com/0dryqmyjmi
-SportsNet (@sportsnet) May 25, 2025
When was the last time the Oilers made the Stanley Cup final?
The 2025 Stanley Cup final is a recurring renewal in 2024. The Oilers will once again face the Florida Panthers head-on.
This time, Edmonton is out for revenge after losing a heartbreaking game 7 on the road, and fortunately the Oilers are considered this matchup favorite.
The Oilers vs. Panthers are the 11th history in NHL history, when teams met in the Cup finals in back-to-back seasons, and the first team met since the Pittsburgh Penguins lined up with the Detroit Red Wings in 2008.
That year, the Penguins recovered from a loss to the wing from a six-game loss, turning the table and winning by seven.
The Panthers are aiming to be the first team to beat the same opponent in a back-to-back Cup finals since the Montreal Canadiens defeated the Boston Bruins 4-0 and 4-2 in 1977 and 1978.
Last year, after the Panthers went up 3-0, they lost three consecutive games and almost pitched the series in the most dramatic way before recovering to seal the deal in Game 7.
The Oilers have the advantage of home ice in 2025. Florida has competed in the Stanley Cup final for the third consecutive year, overcoming the Hump in 2024 after losing to the Vegas Golden Knights in five games.
Edmonton hasn’t won the Cup since 1990, but it appears that everything is preferred ahead of Wednesday’s Game 1 at Rogers Place, Canada.
