The former Capitals winger ended a lengthy goal drought in a 7-2 victory for the Oilers against his ex-club.
For the Washington Capitals, Wednesday's 7-2 loss to the Edmonton Oilers stung and left a sour taste, but the seventh goal against was especially bitter as it came at the hands of former teammate Connor Brown.
Brown, who hadn't scored in nearly two years with his last tally coming on March 24, 2022, redirected a feed from Evander Kane past Darcy Kuemper for his first of the season on Darcy Kuemper to make it a seven-goal game. It was his first goal on 88 shots this season.
For Brown and the Oilers, it was a huge weight off their shoulders as hats rained down and fans erupted into applause.
"It’s good. It’s kind of nice to have it behind me. It’s nice to get one and contribute offensively but it’s nice to have it in the past," Brown told reporters postgame, adding, “It meant a lot. You play in a big market, they’re aware of the storylines. It means a lot, obviously, it’s been a struggle this year offensively, I haven’t been able to get one to go and so obviously for their kind of support to shine through there and obviously they’re rooting for me, it’s a good feeling.”
It was even sweeter that it came against D.C., where he spent the 2022-23 campaign rehabilitating after suffering a torn ACL just three and a half games into the season. He knew at that moment that his season was over, and after recovering, signed a one-year deal to join Edmonton.
“I believed in myself. I know I was just focused on feeling better, getting faster, stronger, playing better," Brown said. "I know I’m around the net enough that one’s gonna pop in, and i know I can build from that and gain some confidence… it's nice to get that one now."
"He's worked hard, he's played really well," Oilers head coach Kris Knoblauch said. "He's probably the most unfortunate player — unlucky — in the NHL."
Brown hopes that it can be a good starting point to get the ball rolling and start putting up more points as Edmonton gears up for the postseason.
"I never was just okay with not scoring. I wasn't (happy) with just kind of letting these big boys take the load and not trying to contribute," Brown said. "I'm trying to score every night; it'll be that way moving forward and into the playoffs."