The Montreal Canadiens finally got Patrik Laine back from injury. Laine suffered an injury during preseason following an offseason trade from the Columbus Blue Jackets. It’s perfect timing, too, as Montreal struggled out of the gate. Thankfully, Laine has hit the ground running, as seen on Monday night against the Anaheim Ducks.
Laine scored a goal and added an assist on Monday night. His efforts helped the Canadiens to a 3-2 win over the Ducks at the Centre Bell in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The Ducks dropped their sixth game in their last eight as they move to 10-12-4 on the season. Meanwhile, the hosting Habs won for the third time in their last four, moving to 11-14-3 on the year.
Laine’s goal is rather significant, as well. It’s his third goal as a member of the Canadiens through his first four games. The veteran winger is the first Montreal player to score three goals in his first four games with the team since 2001. Yanic Perreault did so in his first four games with the team, according to Sportsnet Stats.
Patrik Laine, Canadiens spoil Jacob Trouba’s Ducks debut
Patrik Laine and the Canadiens picked up a big win on Monday. And Laine’s goal is certainly noteworthy. However, that wasn’t the only noteworthy aspect of this contest. This game marked the debut of Jacob Trouba with the Anaheim Ducks. The Ducks traded for Trouba in a deal with the New York Rangers on Friday.
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Trouba played a major role for the Ducks. He skated north of 22 minutes in this game while firing a single shot on goal. Unfortunately, Anaheim could not gift him a win in his first game with his new team. However, his teammates are certainly excited to see him on their side of the ice.
“I mean, he’s always hard to play against,” Ducks forward Troy Terry said, via NHL.com. “You know he’s this big physical guy and he’s good defensively. I thought he was up in the play a lot tonight offensively. It felt like a few times whenever I got space in the offensive zone he was in a good spot for a pass or a chance to score. So, I thought he was great.”
In any event, the Canadiens picked up two important points. And they hope Laine can continue scoring goals as they look to turn things around. Montreal retakes the ice on Thursday when they round out a five-game homestand against the Pittsburgh Penguins.