What a moment it was Wednesday night in Edmonton, as Oilers winger Connor Brown scored his first goal of the game.
The first goal of a season isn’t typically a big affair. After all, over 600 players have found the back of the net this season, but this season has been anything but normal for Brown. Signing a one-year deal with the Oilers, he has been unable to find any of the offence so many had hoped for.
That all changed in the third period against the Capitals, however, as he was finally able to get the monkey off the back. Evander Kane set it up as the two barreled down the ice on a two-on-one. Brown drove to the net as Kane threw the puck his way, and somehow, it managed to bounce off of Brown and into the back of the net.
Rogers Place erupted in cheers, as fans threw hats on the ice, and gave the 30-year-old a standing ovation that lasted nearly two minutes.
Brown’s signing in Edmonton has proven to be a controversial one, as while he signed a one-year deal with a cap hit of the league minimum $775,000 mark, it carried a $3.225-million performance bonus when he played in his 10th game of the season. Signs early in the season were there before that mark that Brown may not have been the player the club had hoped for as he notched just one assist by the time hit reached that bonus.
Still, he’s provided the Oilers with solid value based on his defensive play and work on the penalty kill, where he’s played the second-most minutes of any forward on the team.
The elation on Brown’s face was visible in the moments after the goal, and it’s clear this was a huge moment for he and the team. While fans cheered in the stands, players were mobbing him on the ice.
Hopefully, this helps spark some confidence in him, and he’s able to find the score sheet more down the stretch run of the season and into the playoffs.
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