Connor McDavid makes his thoughts clear on $1,000,000 winger's role in Oilers Game 1 win against Golden Knights

The Edmonton Oilers picked up yet another comeback win in Game 1 of their second-round series against the Vegas Golden Knights on Tuesday night.

Down 2-0 early in the first period, Edmonton showed no panic and dominated the game from that point onward, scoring four unanswered goals en route to a 4-2 win.

Superstars Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl led the charge, as they usually do; however, an unsung hero who continues to produce in the biggest moments has been Connor Brown. The 31-year-old tallied Edmonton's fourth goal in Game 1 on a beautiful end-to-end rush and finish to put any Vegas comeback to bed..

The Oilers captain, Connor McDavid, was asked how much Brown has meant to the team in these playoffs.

"You saw it last year as well — he seems to really thrive in the postseason," McDavid said (1:10 mark). "A huge goal last night. Beautiful goal. He's got lots of confidence right now, ... and he's been a big, big part of our group for the last couple of years.

"He's a leader in our room. He's been great. And he's just able to raise it at the most important times. Obviously, you saw that last night with a big goal. Saw that in Game 6 against LA. And in big moments, he was big. So big part of our group."

Connor Brown is in the lone season of his one-year, $1 million contract signed with Edmonton during the 2024 offseason.

Oilers HC Kris Knoblauch also praised Connor Brown for his play

Connor McDavid wasn't the only one to heap praise on Connor Brown on Wednesday.

Coach Kris Knoblauch was also very complimentary of the depth winger when speaking to the media.

"Not only does his play help our team win, especially, we've seen it on the penalty kill and stepping up big in moments," Knoblauch said (0:08 mark). "We've seen him last year in the playoffs. This year, he's been playing his best hockey. But also, a good player is making your teammates better."

Connor Brown has racked up six points (four goals, two assists) through the first seven games of the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs.

He'll look to keep that up when the Oilers are in Vegas to take on the Golden Knights for Game 2 on Thursday night. The puck drops at 9:30 p.m. EST at T-Mobile Arena.