Oilers’ Connor Brown a game-time decision for Game 1 of Stanley Cup Final

A weird announcement in regard to one of the Edmonton Oilers’ key depth players.

When speaking to the media on Tuesday, head coach Kris Knoblauch stated that forward Connor Brown is a game-time decision for the first game of the Stanley Cup Final.

The reason why Knoblauch’s recent verbiage is strange is that, on Monday, he said that Brown would play on Wednesday night against the Florida Panthers.

Brown has been absent from the Oilers lineup since the last two games of Western Conference Final against the Dallas Stars. In the third game of the series, Brown was hit in the head by Stars defenseman Alex Petrovic. Brown would leave the game, missing Games 4 and 5, as Edmonton was able to win the Clarence S. Campbell Bowl for a second year in a row.

Prior to his injury, the Toronto native was having a solid run in the playoffs. In 14 games, he scored five goals and eight points, the most points he’s ever scored in a single postseason. The Oilers saw a similar level of production from Brown last year, as he notched six points in 19 games, which coincided with the Oilers’ loss to the Panthers in a thrilling seven-game series.

If Brown were to return to the lineup, one might expect to see him jump back on the third line alongside Trent Frederic and Adam Henrique. However, that begs the question of who will come out of the lineup. Jeff Skinner was on that line for the Oilers’ clinching win over the Stars, scoring his first playoff goal in the process, taking the place of the injured Zach Hyman.

Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final is scheduled for Wednesday night, with puck drop set to take place a little after 8 p.m. ET.