Connor Brown 'lit up like a Christmas tree' after scoring for the Devils against the Oilers

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NEWARK, N.J. (AP) — After spending two years with Edmonton and helping the Oilers make two trips to the Stanley Cup Final, facing them early in his first season with the New Jersey Devils meant something to Connor Brown.

“It’s just one of 82, but it kind of felt a little bigger for me, obviously playing the old club,” Brown said.

That burst through when Brown flashed a huge smile and motioned to the cheering crowd after scoring a short-handed goal in the third period of a 5-3 victory on Saturday that extended New Jersey's win streak to four. His new teammates could see the joy.

“He lit up, too, like a Christmas tree,” defenseman Brett Pesce said. “I was actually telling him the other day I didn’t realize how good he actually was. He’s in the West and we didn’t play him much. But, yeah, he’s a heck of a player. He does everything. Didn’t realize how fast he is, either. We’re lucky to have him.”

Brown, who has revived his career after missing most of 2022-23 following knee surgery, has three goals in his first five games with New Jersey after signing a three-year, $12 million contract on July 1. Even with the salary cap going up, that was too rich a price for the Oilers to keep him, with Leon Draisaitl's new monster deal kicking in.

“A lot of guys we had to say goodbye to, a lot of established veterans," coach Kris Knoblauch said. “You bring those guys back and we would like to — but one, their salaries are higher and another thing is it just blocks those younger guys getting an opportunity to make your team and develop.”

The 31-year-old Brown, a winger who is listed at 6 foot and 184 pounds, has been an ideal fit with the Devils. First-line center Jack Hughes, who scored twice against Edmonton, went so far as to say, “We needed a guy like that.”

Sheldon Keefe knew all about Brown from coaching him a decade ago with the American Hockey League's Toronto Marlies. In his second season running the Devils' bench after a lengthy stint with the Maple Leafs, Keefe doesn't believe Brown has changed as a player as much as he has matured.

“He’s become the NHL version of what I had at the AHL level,” Keefe said, praising Brown's skating and tenacity on the puck. “He’s a smart player. He reads the play very well, so you can use him kind of anywhere in the lineup.”

One place has been as one of the top players on the penalty kill, and the result has been one of the best units in the NHL. The Devils have allowed just one power-play goal against on 20 opportunities, and Brown's goal tied them for the league lead with two short-handed.

Skating all by himself halfway down the ice toward former teammate and friend Calvin Pickard, Brown wasn't thinking much about the goaltender's strengths and weaknesses for where to shoot.

“I was actually just trying not to laugh against Pickard," Brown said. "We’ve got a pretty good bond. I was telling the guys, Draisaitl used to always tell me to go backhand, forehand on breakaways, so I thought I’d try it there, and it worked.”

There's a long way to go, but things are working great for Brown in New Jersey — and that's not a coincidence. He knew Jack and brother Luke Hughes, played for Keefe and strategically figured it would be a good place for him.

“I felt like it really fit my skillset,” Brown said. “A team that plays really fast, a team that plays with a lot of skill — a high-tempo, a high-motor team — and so I think that’s kind of where I shine.”

Almost like a lit-up Christmas tree.

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