Is Connor Brown playing tonight against Panthers? Oilers forward's status confirmed for Stanley Cup Final Game 1

Edmonton Oilers forward Connor Brown is officially ready to roll for Wednesday night's opening game of the Stanley Cup Finals against the Florida Panthers.

Brown has been sidelined since Game 3 of the Western Conference finals due to the effects of being on the receiving end of a hard hit from Dallas Stars defenseman Alex Petrovic. He left the game without returning following said collision and missed the remainder of Round 3 with an undisclosed injury.

After a full recovery, the depth winger appeared to be a full go for Game 1. However, an illness forced him to miss Tuesday's practice, casting some doubt over a potential return. Thankfully for Brown and the Oilers, it's not too serious, and he will be back in the lineup for Game 1 against Florida.

Sportsnet columnist Mark Spector shared the update that Brown himself provided to the media on Wednesday afternoon on X (formerly Twitter).

"Connor Brown declares himself IN for Game 1 tonight," Spector wrote.

Brown is playing out the lone season of the one-year, $1,000,000 contract extension he inked with the Oilers last summer.

Connor Brown will continue the tradition of reading the Oilers' lineup card in Game 1

We've all seen the video of Connor Brown hiding in the cupboard in the Oilers locker room and jumping out to surprise his team and read the starting lineup before Game 4 against Dallas.

Edmonton, of course, went on to win that game, so until it loses, Brown will have the honor of announcing the starters moving forward. Luke Fox of Sportsnet shared what Oilers coach Kris Knoblauch had to say about Brown and his status pregame on X.

"Connor Brown will take warmup and be a game-time decision. He'll also read the opening lineup card before Game 1. Oilers keep the same lineup card reader after a win," Fox wrote.

Brown and the Oilers will look to keep the good times rolling for as long as possible. The 31-year-old's return will be huge, as he's recorded eight points (five goals, three assists) in 14 games played this postseason.

After a long wait, the Oilers and Panthers will battle in Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Finals on Wednesday night in Edmonton. The puck drops at 8 p.m. EST at Rogers Place.