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Habs Highlights: Patrik Laine Immediately Makes Positive Impact

Originally posted on Montreal Hockey Now | By Marc Dumont | Last updated Dec 3, 2024 9:14 PM ET

Newcomer Patrik Laine didn’t take long to make his mark with the Montreal Canadiens, scoring in his first game back since suffering a serious lower-body injury in the preseason.

The 26-year-old forward scored the first goal of the game as the Habs faced the New York Islanders on Tuesday night at the Bell Centre. It was a powerplay goal, which isn’t particularly surprising given that Laine possesses a fantastic shot. Team captain Nick Suzuki and defensive phenom Lane Hutson assisted on the play.

The rust factor is still evident, there’s no avoiding it, but scoring in his first game back is sure to do wonders for Laine’s confidence.

Patrik Laine wasted no time scoring his first goal for the #GoHabsGo.

PP goal, Canadiens up 1-0. Hutson and Suzuki with the assists. pic.twitter.com/1ghjwpEIIT

— Marc Dumont (@MarcPDumont) December 4, 2024

Patrik Laine New Chapter

Laine was traded to the Canadiens in the offseason along with a draft pick for defenceman Jordan Harris. Unfortunately, poor timing from a Toronto Maple Leafs minor-leaguer led to Laine missing the first stretch of the 2024-25 calendar, making a bad situation a little worse, as Laine hadn’t played a regular-season game since 2023.

Of course, Canadiens fans should not expect Laine to score every game, but it was certainly a fantastic introduction to the Bell Centre faithful, who quickly serenaded the newcomer with cheers of happiness. They also showed their support for Laine during the season-opening ceremony, even if he was yet to play a regular-season game with the Canadiens, and even if he was not set to play against the Maple Leafs on October 9.

Coming into Tuesday’s game, Laine had scored 204 goals and 184 assists in 480 games, splitting time with the Winnipeg Jets and the Columbus Blue Jackets before eventually joining the Canadiens. Once the 2024-25 season is over, Laine will have one more year left on his contract, giving the Canadiens plenty of time to judge whether a contract extension is in order.

THE ROOF JUST BLEW OFF THE BELL CENTRE, PATRIK LAINE HAS A GOAL IN HIS FIRST GAME BACK pic.twitter.com/l1SzSGhLHp

— B/R Open Ice (@BR_OpenIce) December 4, 2024