The Montreal Canadiens dealt a decisive 6-1 defeat to the Buffalo Sabres in the battle between the Atlantic Division’s bottom teams. Driven by a red-hot Patrik Laine, the Canadiens delivered another huge blow to the Sabres, who are spiraling into a full-on trainwreck in the NHL.
For Montreal, it felt good to be on the winning side of a blowout. Just days after suffering an embarrassing 9-2 loss, the Canadiens let their anger out on the league’s boxing bag, the Sabres. Buffalo has lost 11 games in a row, and Montreal didn’t show any mercy.
Patrik Laine is back to his scoring ways since returning to the lineup on December 3. Since, Laine tallies 7 points through his first seven games. Against Buffalo, Laine scored a hat trick, with all three goals being on the power play. However, the 26-year-old Finn made a sincere statement that shocked every reporter in the locker room.
“If you take away the goals, I’ve had a million times better games than that where I’ve had zero goals,” Laine commented, via NHL.com. “On the power play, it went in, but outside of that I would call it a pretty average performance from myself today, but that was enough.”
Patrik Laine #92 of the Montreal Canadiens is seen in crutches as he is introduced during the pre-game ceremony against the Toronto Maple Leafs at the Bell Centre on October 9, 2024 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The Montreal Canadiens defeated the Toronto Maple Leafs 1-0.
Laine has been known, and criticized for being extremely dependent on the man-advantage situations. He is a goal machine in the power play, but he struggles to produce at even strength. All six goals on the season have come on the power play for Laine.
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Laine speaks on Montreal’s PP unit
Despite being the fifth-worst team in the NHL standings, the Canadiens have put on solid numbers on special teams. The power play is among the Top-15 with an efficiency rate of 22.0%, showcasing the team’s struggles lie on its even strength defense.
“Five-on-3 is a little bit different since there’s just so much open ice,” Laine said. “And I think when you have the kind of unit we have, and if we get over a minute, 5-on-3, it should be an automatic goal.”
Montreal hopes Laine can improve his performance at 5-on-5 but isn’t too concerned as long as he continues to deliver as a reliable scorer on the power play.
Up next, the Canadiens will meet with another divisional opponent, the Detroit Red Wings at Motor City on Dec. 20.
