Patrik Laine has helped rejuvenate the Montreal Canadiens, who are putting their three-game win streak on the line when they visit the Columbus Blue Jackets on Monday.
Laine has five goals throughout the winning streak and has eight in his nine games this season after returning from a preseason knee injury. He has been a welcome addition to the Canadiens’ power play, with all eight of his goals coming on the man advantage.
The second overall pick of the Winnipeg Jets in 2016, Laine had tons of hype surrounding him when the Canadiens acquired him via trade this summer after spending 3 1/2 seasons in Columbus.
The Finnish sniper racked up 64 goals despite playing just 174 games for the Blue Jackets due to a rash of injuries.
Goaltender Sam Montembeault has been a solid contributor to the Canadiens’ recent winning ways, as well.
Montembeault has started nine consecutive games and garnered the praise of forward Juraj Slafkovsky after earning victories on back-to-back nights against the Detroit Red Wings.
“It’s nice when you know that you have a goalie like that behind your back,” Slafkovsky said. “I honestly had doubts that you could play back-to-back, because they probably have way more work than us playing 20 minutes. They gotta be inside there for 60, so it’s tough.
“But he’s a great goalie, and he can do that.”
The Canadiens are beginning a season-long six-game road trip. They won’t play on home ice again until Jan. 6.
The Blue Jackets enter Monday’s meeting between two of the Eastern Conference’s worst teams searching for answers. They have lost six of their past seven games (1-3-3), with the only win coming at home against New Jersey on Dec. 19.
Columbus is coming off a 5-4 overtime loss to the Philadelphia Flyers on Saturday, in which the Blue Jackets wasted a 2-0 lead through two periods.
“We played the game hard,” coach Dean Evason told the media following the contest. “We maybe ran out of a bit of steam at the end and made a couple mistakes they capitalized on.”
Heading back home will be a welcome sight for the Blue Jackets, who are 9-4-3 at Nationwide Arena this season.
Scoring hasn’t been an issue for the Blue Jackets, but rather keeping the puck out of their net.
Columbus ranks second-to-last in the NHL with an average of 3.62 goals against per game and has allowed at least four goals in seven of its past 10 games.
Winger Kirill Marchenko has points in five straight contests and 34 points in 34 games this season.
Montreal has won the two previous meetings this season and has dominated the Blue Jackets of late, winning each of the past seven meetings by a goal margin of 31-12.
–Field Level Media
