It’s been a tough season for the Columbus Blue Jackets in general and for Finnish star forward Patrik Laine in particular.
His start to the season was a disappointment, and earlier in November, as the Blue Jackets were on an eight-game losing streak, Laine received the shocking news that he was a healthy scratch in a game against the Philadelphia Flyers.
It was a surprising decision, given Laine has been close to a point-per-game player since he signed with the Blue Jackets from Winnipeg.
A few days later, Laine spoke openly about how tough it was for him, calling it “the most embarrassing thing that has happened.”
”I’m not happy about that,” Laine said. “They know that. It is what it is. It’s over and done.”
Laine has been tested at center for the first time in his career, and both he and star Johnny Gaudreau have had a tough time scoring.
Both have been benched during games. Laine has played five games since being a healthy scratch against the Flyers and has racked up three points in that time.
Laine had a goal in Wednesday’s matchup with the Montreal Canadiens, but something else he did drew fans’ attention and caused emotions with his opponents.
Before the game started, Laine irritated the Canadiens by doing something we rarely see in the NHL. According to two reporters, Laine took a shot at the Canadiens’ empty net during warm-ups, but it didn’t go as he hoped.
“Patrik Laine tried to score in the Habs’ net before leaving the ice at the end of the warm-up. I don’t know what we can foresee in this, but he missed the cage,” French-Canadian reporter Anthony Martineau from TVA Sports wrote on X.
In the NHL, it’s an unwritten rule that no player ever crosses the line during warm-ups, especially not taking a shot at the other goal.
Patrik Laine surely seemed fired up, and although he missed that shot, he did manage to score during the game. The Blue Jackets, who surprisingly won over the Boston Bruins earlier this week, ended up losing Wednesday’s game against the Canadiens 4-2.
