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NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – June 19, 2024
Hyman thrilled for Brown: ‘A lot of people lost faith in him’
Though Connor McDavid is grabbing the bulk of the headlines, Edmonton Oilers forward Zach Hyman believes there's another Connor who should be getting his fair share of the credit.
"(Connor Brown) has been unbelievable, even more so in this Cup Final," Hyman told Sportsnet after the Oilers' Game 5 victory. "I think a lot of people lost faith in him. I mean, look how good he's been. He's an unbelievable player, I've played with him for a long time (with the Toronto Maple Leafs) so I knew how good he can be.
"He's showing it every night. At the highest stage, he's one of our best players."
Brown broke the ice during Edmonton's season-extending 5-3 victory Tuesday with a clutch shorthanded tally, his second goal and sixth point of the postseason. Thanks in part to the veteran winger, the Oilers' penalty kill has been lights out in these playoffs with an incredible 93.9% success rate, and the unit was a perfect 3-for-3 in Game 5.
"Special teams obviously were great," McDavid said of his team's latest win. "Penalty kill, there's nothing else to really say. They've been great. Brownie (scored) a massive goal to settle us in."
Brown struggled mightily in the regular season after missing all but four games of the 2022-23 campaign with a torn ACL. The 30-year-old totaled just 12 points in 71 games and had to wait until March 13 to score his first goal as he readjusted to the NHL.
Now, Brown is happy to put all the adversity behind him while helping Edmonton claw its way back into the Stanley Cup Final.
"It's been, obviously, quite the season for me to go from where I was to where I am," Brown said. "To contribute on the biggest stage is what you want to do as a player. At the end of the day, I'm having fun."
The Florida Panthers won the first three contests to put Edmonton into a daunting hole, but the Oilers since won back-to-back games to maintain their dreams of lifting Lord Stanley's Mug.
"We're writing the story, we're taking it into our own hands," Brown said.
When asked if the Oilers have planted a seed of doubt in the Panthers' heads, Hyman said, "It's just human nature."
"That's the beauty of sports, it's never over until it's over," he explained. "Everybody on the outside can think it's over, but the guys in this locker room, we just believe. ... We're two games away, we got a chance, an amazing opportunity to go back home and send it to seven."
The puck drops on Game 6 in Edmonton on Friday at 8 p.m. ET.
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McDavid helps Oilers top Panthers to avoid elimination again
Connor McDavid notched two goals and two assists as his Edmonton Oilers continued to stay alive with a 5-3 win over the Florida Panthers in Game 5 of the Stanley Cup Final on Tuesday.
McDavid's first goal of the contest was his 40th point this postseason, which tied him for the fourth-best playoff output in NHL history. He finished with 42 and now sits in sole possession of fourth behind Wayne Gretzky's 47 in 1985, Mario Lemieux's 44 in 1991, and Gretzky's 43 in 1988.
The current Oilers captain also set the NHL record for most points in a two-game span in a Cup Final with eight. He posted a goal and three assists in Edmonton's Game 4 victory on Saturday.
Edmonton became the first team ever to win Game 5 on the road after trailing 3-0 in the Cup Final.
Zach Hyman, Connor Brown, and Corey Perry added tallies for the Oilers, while Evan Rodrigues, Matthew Tkachuk, and Oliver Ekman-Larsson scored for the Panthers.
Edmonton goaltender Stuart Skinner made 29 saves, while his Florida counterpart, Sergei Bobrovsky, turned aside 19 of 23 shots.
Oilers head coach Kris Knoblauch alluded to the fact that his team has been written off ever since he was hired amid their struggles in the fall.
"We were counted out a lot through the playoffs, regular season, whatever, but it doesn't faze the group in there," he told the media, including Sportsnet. "They've got a lot of belief and a lot of just enjoying every extra day. ... There's a lot to smile about."
Panthers bench boss Paul Maurice insisted his club isn't feeling down despite losing two in a row after winning the first three.
"I'm not feeling deflated and neither is the hockey team," he said, according to The Associated Press' Tim Reynolds. "Little grumpy."
The Panthers lead the series 3-2 with Game 6 scheduled for Friday in Edmonton.
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