Oilers rule out F Brown for Game 4 vs. Stars

Oilers forward Connor Brown will not play in Game 4 of the Western Conference finals against the Dallas Stars on Tuesday, Edmonton coach Kris Knoblauch confirmed Monday.

Brown did not participate in the morning skate after leaving Sunday’s Game 3 after a thunderous hit from Stars defenseman Alex Petrovic. As Brown tried to move the puck along the boards in the second period of an eventual 6-1 Edmonton win, Petrovic came down from the far side of the offensive zone and caught Brown with a forceful check that sent him to the ice.

Brown was already dealing with an undisclosed injury that made him a game-time decision for Game 1 of the series and caused him to miss the morning skate ahead of Game 2. However, he played in the first three games of the series.

Knoblauch did not say how much time Brown is expected to miss.

Brown, 31, has eight points (five goals, three assists) in 14 playoff games. He totaled 30 points (13 goals, 17 assists) and a plus-9 rating while playing in all 82 games during the regular season.

Knoblauch said it’s undecided if veteran defenseman Mattias Ekholm will play in Game 4 as he remains day-to-day with an undisclosed injury. Ekholm, 35, fully participated in practice but has logged only 1:52 of ice time since March 26.

The Stars lead 2-1 in the best-of-seven series, which will return to Dallas for Game 5 on Thursday night.