The New Jersey Devils defeated the Edmonton Oilers 4-3 in a shootout on Tuesday, November 3, at Prudential Center in Newark.
The win also sends a strong message to the rest of the NHL that New Jersey has what it takes to compete with elite teams like Edmonton.
Alongside Jack Hughes, who recorded a three-point night with two goals and an assist, Connor Brown was another standout, contributing a goal and an assist.
In fact, Brown earned praise not only from his head coach, Sheldon Keefe, but also from NJ.com's Anthony Corona.
The Devils reporter analyzed the game on Tuesday's edition of NJ.com's "Speaking of the Devils" podcast and made a particularly emphatic point, already looking ahead to the playoffs this early in the season because of how well Brown has been playing.
Corona began, "Connor Brown has been celebrated by Sheldon Keefe."
"I feel like almost daily since he came into the lineup off of injury, like a week and a half ago or whenever it was. The guy just does it all."
Corona described Brown as one of former general manager Tom Fitzgerald's final gifts to the organization.
"Veteran leader in the room. Power play, penalty kill, just what a great player. One of Tom Fitzgerald's parting gifts, not the last one, but I would consider it his last grouping of moves."
For context, Fitzgerald took over as the Devils' interim general manager following Ray Shero's departure on January 12, 2020. He was subsequently officially named general manager and executive vice president on July 9, 2020.
Fitzgerald later earned a contract extension and also took on the role of president of hockey operations on January 23, 2024. However, the organization ultimately dismissed him on April 6, 2026.
Later, Corona made perhaps his most noteworthy comment, arguing that having a player like Brown available during the playoffs is a tremendous luxury for any organization.
He said, "But he is certainly a very big piece of this team and will continue to be so throughout the season. And a guy like that in the playoffs, great, great luxury to have."
This article was originally published on HEAVY
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