PROJECTED LINEUP: Brown expects to play in Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final against Florida

EDMONTON, AB – Winger Connor Brown will be reading the pre-game lineup for the Edmonton Oilers in the dressing room one way or another tonight before the start of Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final against the Florida Panthers at Rogers Place.

“We have a tradition,” Head Coach Kris Knoblauch said. “Whoever did it in the game before, and as long as we win, that continues. So Connor Brown will be doing our starting lineup.”

Just don’t expect any surprises to come bursting out of the cupboard this time from Brown, just like he did before Game 4 of the Western Conference Final against the Stars despite being out with an upper-body injury.

Instead, he plans to be half-dressed in his equipment, sitting in his stall as he prepares to return to the lineup in time to begin another battle for the Oilers against the Panthers in the Final for another chance with this group to hoist the Stanley Cup.

“I plan on playing, so I'll be sitting in my stall reading it,” Brown said.

Despite being labelled a game-time decision by Head Coach Kris Knoblauch, Brown expects himself to be a part of Edmonton's Game 1 lineup after being out for Games 4 & 5 of the Western Final due to injury, along with missing Tuesday's practice because of an illness.

The winger has five goals and three assists in 14 games this postseason and will take warmups tonight, where it's projected that he'll be back in his third-line spot alongside Trent Frederic and Adam Henrique when the Oilers confirm their deployment during line rushes. Jeff Skinner was on the ice late during this morning's pre-game skate for the Oilers and looks to be the odd man out up front tonight as a healthy scratch with the return of Brown.

Just like they did in Game 5 against Dallas, the Oilers will need to pick up the slack following the loss of Zach Hyman for the remainder of the playoffs.

"Brown is a really good two-way player, but I think his penalty-kill skills are second to none," Knoblauch said. "I think he's very good at that. He's usually paired with Janmark, and the two of them we rely on quite a bit. But you've seen during the playoffs him come up with some really big goals, especially early in our playoff run against LA coming up with some key goals, so he's a guy that can move up and down the lineup.

"Especially right now, we're kind of short on right-wingers with Hyman not being available. So we're going to need some more guys stepping up there. Whether that's Perry, Brown, Arvidsson, Frederic, we've got a lot of guys. Kapanen, since he's been inserted back in the lineup during this run, he's been phenomenal, so those guys collectively are going to try to raise our game."

Brown is excited to come back in and contribute to another push for the Stanley Cup with his Oilers teammates after they came so close last year, feeling they're a better and more prepared team this time around to get the job done in a rematch against the Panthers.

"Growing up, you want to play in the Stanley Cup Final, and I think that's been echoed a lot around here," Brown said. "Last year, it kind of felt euphoric being here. It's something you dream about, but this year it feels a little different. We understood the blueprint. We believed that we have a rightful place here, so it's a different feeling. It's a good feeling, and I think we're excited to get to our game plan right away."

View the Oilers Projected Lineup for Game 1 against the Panthers below:

Nugent-Hopkins - McDavid - Perry
Kane - Draisaitl - Kapanen
Frederic - Henrique - Brown
Podkolzin - Janmark - Arvidsson

Ekholm - Bouchard
Nurse - Kulak
Walman - Klingberg

Skinner
Pickard