Eric Bolte-Imagn Images
Updated: Montreal Canadiens left winger Patrik Laine scored in his season debut on Tuesday after recovering from a knee injury.
The 26-year-old was helped off the ice in a pre-season game against the Toronto Maple Leafs on Sept. 28 after a knee-on-knee collision with minor leaguer Cedric Pare.
Montreal activated Laine off the injured reserve on Tuesday and announced he would play against the New York Islanders. In practice, he shared a line with Kirby Dach and Juraj Slafkovsky.
Laine joined the Canadiens on Aug. 19 when the Columbus Blue Jackets granted a trade request. But because of his injury, Laine and the Canadiens fans were forced to wait for his season debut. The wait is over.
And Laine’s history of season debuts continued, starting his Canadiens career with a bang.
In all of his 10 campaigns in the NHL, Laine has put up at least one point in his season debut.
In 2016, he logged two points in his NHL debut with the Winnipeg Jets against the Carolina Hurricanes. The No. 2 pick in the 2016 NHL draft scored a power-play goal on goaltender Cam Ward and provided a helper on a Mathieu Perreault equalizer. The Jets went on to beat the Hurricanes in overtime.
His best season debut in 2021 was also his last game for the Winnipeg Jets before they traded him to the Blue Jackets. He scored two goals and an assist to help the Jets beat the Calgary Flames 4-3. The Finnish sniper scored the overtime-winning goal in that contest and was the game’s first star.
Here’s the full list of his season-opening performances ahead of Tuesday:
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2016-17, Winnipeg: one goal, one assist, 5-4 OT win versus Carolina
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2017-18, Winnipeg: one assist, 7-2 loss versus Toronto
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2018-19, Winnipeg: one goal, one assist, 5-1 win versus St. Louis
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2019-20, Winnipeg: one assist, 6-4 loss versus NY Rangers
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2020-21, Winnipeg: two goals, one assist, 4-3 OT win versus Calgary
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2021-22, Columbus: two assists, 8-2 win versus Arizona
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2022-23, Columbus: one goal, 4-1 loss versus Carolina
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2023-24, Columbus: one goal, 4-2 loss versus Philadelphia
Laine’s had six goals and nine points in 18 games with the Blue Jackets last season. He missed time due to shoulder injuries and receiving care from the NHL/NHLPA Player Assistance Program. The season before that, he had 22 goals and 52 points in 55 games.
Related: Will Return Of Star Sniper Laine Do Anything For Canadiens’ Season Outlook?
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