Oilers having fun, staying loose on way to Stanley Cup Final

EDMONTON -- The Edmonton Oilers took a businesslike approach getting back to the Stanley Cup Final, but it doesn’t mean they haven’t had fun along the way.

Forward Connor Brown popped out of a base cabinet in Edmonton's dressing room prior to Game 4 of the Western Conference Final against the Dallas Stars on Tuesday to surprise his teammates and deliver the starting lineup.

Edmonton won the game 4-1 and clinched the best-of-7 series with a 6-3 win in Game 5 on Thursday to set up the Final rematch against the Florida Panthers, which will begin with Game 1 at Rogers Place on Wednesday (SN, CBC, TVAS, TNT, truTV, MAX).

“Our video guy [Erik Elenz] did that during the regular season. We had a little winning streak, and he was coming up with stuff, so I took that one out of his book and I thought I would get the boys going,” Brown said following practice Sunday. “I was in there for about 20-plus minutes. It’s a little roomier in there than I thought, and I had my phone and my cushion. I was texting Erik, he was giving me the lineup, so I had to memorize it. He was giving me a play-by-play of what was going on out there.”

Brown missed the final two games of the Western Conference Final with an upper-body injury he sustained after taking a hit from Stars defenseman Alexander Petrovic in Game 3. However, Brown was back on the ice Sunday and said he’ll be ready to play in Game 1 of the Final.

Edmonton is going into the best-of-7 series looking to avenge a 2-1 loss to Florida in Game 7 last season. The Oilers battled back to force a winner-take-all game after falling behind 3-0 in the series.

“I think last year when we punched our ticket, there were only a few guys that had been there before, and so when we went to the Stanley Cup Final, there was that big shock factor,” Brown said. “This year, we understood what it took given our experience last year. We kind of just followed the blueprint, respected the process and believed we were going to get the results we wanted, and we’re going to continue to do that. I think we’ll be ready to go right from the get-go this time around.”

Edmonton leaned on its playoff experience when things looked dire against the Los Angeles Kings, who won the first two games against them in the Western Conference First Round. Since then, the Oilers are 12-2 in the postseason, winning the final four games of the first round before defeating the Vegas Golden Knights in five games in the second round and the Stars in five games in the conference final.

“I think we’ve done a really good job of putting ourselves in those situations and not making it as stressful maybe as it has been in the past,” Oilers forward Leon Draisaitl said Sunday. “We’ll see how much it’s going to help us, but I think we have a lot of guys in here that have their legs and feel really good about themselves.”

The road to the Final has not been as taxing this season, which has allowed the Oilers to have lighthearted moments along the way.

A year ago, after getting past the Kings in the first round, the Oilers had to battle back to defeat the Vancouver Canucks in seven games in the second round before eliminating Dallas in six games in the conference final.

“Last year, the Vancouver series was really emotional for everyone, just with two Canadian teams, the media, there’s just a lot of components that went into that series,” Draisaitl said. “I think if you ask anyone that series felt like it took years off our lives. I think we’re just a little more mature now, know how to be in those situations and we can stay as even-keeled as everyone talks about. So far, it’s worked in our advantage.”

Although the pressure to win the Stanley Cup for the first time since 1990 is still there for the Oilers, the experience of 12 playoff series in the past four seasons has made them a savvy group.

“When you’re playing in the Stanley Cup Final and you’re trying to break through, obviously the pressure is high and the moment’s big, but it’s important to have fun along the way, and I think that’s what this team does a really good job of,” Brown said. “We have fun with one another, we play for one another. It doesn’t mean we’re not playing as hard, it just kind of relaxes us. We learned a lot from last year. We understood what it took and it’s nice to have that blueprint.”

Losing in Game 7 last season wasn’t fun for the Oilers, and they are willing to do whatever it takes this time around to change the outcome. Sometimes that means bringing levity to a tense situation.

“Playing hockey when you’re successful, two of the most important things are, No. 1 you work hard, and No. 2 you’re enjoying what you’re doing,” Oilers coach Kris Knoblauch said. “Whether it’s somebody jumping out of the cupboard or whatever we’re doing. Yes, we’re very businesslike, it’s important to be focused, but you can also have fun. I don’t think fun is going to distract anybody from what our goal is. I think during this playoff run, we obviously had a goal in mind, and I think everyone has been able to enjoy the ride.”