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Canadiens Instant Recap: Welcome To Montreal, Patrik Laine

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montreal canadiens patrik laine

The Montreal Canadiens hosted the New York Islanders on Tuesday night, with all eyes on newcomer Patrik Laine, who was making his long-awaited debut with the team that traded for his services during the offseason.



It was a hard-fought battle that necessitated overtime to settle the score, where the Habs emerged with a 2-1 win.

Let’s dive into the highlights!

Slow And Steady

Martin St-Louis did not waste any time getting Laine on the ice, using the 26-year-old forward alongside Kirby Dach and Juraj Slafkovsky in his starting lineup.

His first taste of action took place in a low-event first period where the Canadiens held the edge in shots at 5v5, while the Islanders controlled one additional high-danger scoring chance (2-1).

We will guard against making any sweeping statements, because we all know it will take Laine an extended period of time to find his form, but given that he missed almost an entire calendar year, he didn’t look particularly out of place while skating against opponents who were already in mid-season shape.

Of course, the rust factor is real, but the quiet period provided Laine with a good opportunity to get a few shifts under his belt before he can start focusing on driving the play from an offensive standpoint.

Starting On The Right Foot

Even though the Habs failed to score on the powerplay in the first period, Laine’s mere presence gave fans some insight as to what be brings to the table with the man advantage. Having both Cole Caufield and Laine as shooting options means the team is now exploiting a lot more open ice whenever the opportunity arises.

Logically, this will eventually make life easier on Caufield as he attempts to keep pace with all the other top goalscorers in the NHL.

Laine’s shot mechanics aren’t tuned-in yet, making his fantastic release a little slower than usual. Again, this is perfectly normal, however, it was beyond encouraging to see him open the scoring on Tuesday night, even if his release isn’t as good as it will become in the future, once he has a chance to play an extended stretch of the schedule.

Laine was interviewed by TSN in the second intermission, and when he was asked what was going through his head as the Bell Centre gave him an ovation, he gave an honest answer that puts the whole situation into context.

“Nothing,” explained Laine. “I was just enjoying it. I’ve never heard a crowd that loud.”

Only players who have missed a significant amount of time or who have faced adversity can really  appreciate where he’s coming from. When the chips are down, all you think about is getting back to ‘normal’. Once that happens, it’s crucial to stay in the moment and appreciate all the good things coming to fruition.

Not What The Dachtor Ordered

Goaltender Samuel Montembeault had a very solid outing, perhaps bolstered by the rumours that he will represent Team Canada at the upcoming 4 Nations Faceoff.


He was perfect up until the Islanders managed to score in the dying minutes of the second period, when a questionable clearing attempt by Kirby Dach led to the road team maintaining possession in the offensive zone, which eventually led to the tying goal.

Dach wasn’t the only player who made a mistake on the play, but it was a good reminder that even if Laine scored in his first game back, players who have recovered from a serious injury can take a very long time to dust off all the cobwebs.

Laine could score five goals in the next five games, and it wouldn’t necessarily mean he’s in top shape. These things take time, and we shouldn’t use his goal as a reason to lose patience if things become slightly worse in the upcoming games.

The Captain

The game ended on a positive note, with Suzuki scoring his 10th goal of the year to secure the win for the Canadiens. This means he’s now above a point-per-game, fairly impressive given how much unreasonable criticism he faces every few games.


The Montreal Canadiens will be back in action on Thursday. They will host the Nashville Predators at the Bell Centre, with the puck drop scheduled for 7 pm ET. All Montreal Canadiens statistics are 5v5 unless otherwise noted, via Natural Stat Trick.

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