Patrik Laine is happy, healthy and showing he still has a howitzer of a shot. His return from a lengthy hockey absence has come just in the nick of time, with the dynamic Finnish sniper set to face the Winnipeg Jets on Saturday night.
“It’s good to see Patty back to himself,” former teammate Mason Appleton said Friday.
“The last couple years for him have been a little tougher. In this league, you’re kind of all rooting for each other to have success when you’re not playing one another. Patty’s a guy most of us know in this room, so to see him happy and back to his normal ways is a good sign.”
Laine, 26, was limited to just 18 games last year with the Columbus Blue Jackets as he first dealt with an injury, then entered the NHL/NHLPA player assistance program for a lengthy spell to deal with his mental health. He was traded last summer to the Montreal Canadiens, but his debut was delayed after he suffered a knee sprain in the preseason.
CHRISTINNE MUSCHI / THE CANADIAN PRESS
Patrik Laine is back to his old tricks with the Montreal Canadiens, scoring three goals and adding an assist in his first five games with the Habs.
Laine returned to action last week and has three goals and an assist in his first five games with the Habs. This will mark his third game as a visitor at Canada Life Centre, but the first in more than two years.
“As human beings, we want to see guys be the best they can be. He had a great time here and I cherish all of those memories,” said Jets winger Kyle Connor.
“You never want to see anybody go through the stuff he’s gone through. I don’t want to speak for him, but it’s just great to see him look like he’s loving the game again and enjoying his teammates in Montreal and playing well as well. He’s a great guy, he was a great teammate. I always love the guy. Good to see him back on the ice and having some success. I think we’re all cheering for him.”
Laine — the second-overall pick of Winnipeg in 2016 who was traded along with Jack Roslovic in exchange for Pierre-Luc Dubois in January 2021 — was held off the scoresheet the first time he returned to face the Jets in March 2022. But he had two goals in a 4-1 Blue Jackets victory during his most recent visit on Dec. 12, 2022.
“A dynamic player, he’s right up there with Ovie sitting on that side with that shot,” said Jets coach Scott Arniel.
CHRISTINNE MUSCHI / THE CANADIAN PRESS
Patrik Laine (centre) celebrates his first goal of the season with teammates Nick Suzuki (14), Lane Hutson (48), Cole Caufield (13) and Juraj Slafkovsky (20) during the second period against the New York Islanders earlier this month. Laine was named first star following the game in Montreal.
“We’re always trying to sell this league. You hate to see any time when your star players aren’t able to play. Glad to see him back. Hopefully, he’s not feeling so good (Saturday).”
Laine and his current teammates are likely feeling a bit sour after they were trounced 9-2 on home ice Thursday night by the Pittsburgh Penguins. The Jets aren’t feeling so hot either after blowing a late lead and falling 3-2 in overtime to the Vegas Golden Knights in a game they admittedly were far from their best.
“Obviously had a little slice of humble pie,” is how Appleton described it.
Connor was even more blunt: “That was unacceptable and probably one of the worst games we’ve had in a very long time. It was very disappointing.”
Not surprisingly, the Jets spent much of Friday’s practice getting back to some of the basics which they believe have slipped during a busy stretch of hockey that has seen them follow up a record-setting 15-1-0 start with a 6-8-1 stretch over the last 15 games.
“You get into some bad habits and play so many games in a short period of time, the bad habits show up,” is how Arniel explained it.
“And also the other side of that, the fatigue, you make some mental mistakes that maybe you didn’t earlier in the year.”
“That was unacceptable and probably one of the worst games we’ve had in a very long time. It was very disappointing.”–Kyle Connor.
The Jets don’t have to look very far to find a game they really liked, as they were clicking on all cylinders in Tuesday’s 8-1 victory over the Boston Bruins, only to follow that up 48 hours later with a bit of a clunker.
“You never want to take any team lightly in this league. I know (Montreal) just got beat pretty good coming off their last game. So did we, so we’re going to be a pretty motivated group,” said Connor.
“I think just focusing on us and what we can control. We have stuff we’re trying to work on, and like you said, hopefully this benefits us for the long-term and it’s something we can maybe build on and show some growth in our game.”
Expect the Jets to make one lineup change, with defenceman Colin Miller replacing Ville Heinola. Forwards Nikolaj Ehlers and David Gustafsson and blue-liner Dylan Samberg remain out with injuries, although Ehlers took a big step Friday as he joined the main group for practice in a non-contact sweater.
Ehlers suffered a lower-body injury on Nov. 29 in Vegas and resumed skating by himself earlier this week.
“Any time Fly is coming back off an injury you definitely are going to get a huge spark to your lineup really quick here,” said Appleton.
“He’s been great for us to start, he’s such a dynamic player and he really drives whatever line he’s on. Obviously, whenever he’s back we’ll be thrilled for that.”
You know Ehlers would love to face the Habs, considering he’s best friends with Laine, but that is unlikely. Arniel is hopeful a return is just around the corner. After closing out this four-game homestand against Montreal, the Jets will hit the road for back-to-back games next Tuesday and Wednesday against the San Jose Sharks and Anaheim Ducks.
They’ll also have some special company as this will be mom’s trip.
“We went 0-3 last mom’s trip so there’s a little bit of pressure,” Connor said of the 2020 trek through Carolina, Columbus and Chicago.
“I think the moms are well aware. It’s going to be fun. It kind of breaks up the whole routine of everything and obviously, it’s a shared experience of what we do every day with some of the people that we love.”
