MONTREAL -- Patrik Laine will make his regular-season debut for the Montreal Canadiens against the New York Islanders at Bell Centre on Tuesday (7 p.m. ET; RDS, TSN2, MSGSN).
The forward was expected to be out for 2-3 months after he sprained his left knee in a collision with Cedric Pare of the Toronto Maple Leafs during a preseason game at Bell Centre on Sept. 28. He opted not to have surgery and began skating again Nov. 6.
"If somebody plays here and doesn't get fired up I think there's something wrong with them, so I don't think that should be an issue," Laine said. "I think the crowd will be buzzing as always and hopefully as we play and with the way we play tonight we're going to excite them even more."
Laine, who took part in his first practice with the Canadiens on Nov. 20, was on a line with Kirby Dach and Juraj Slafkovsky at the morning skate Tuesday.
"I was kind of hoping I could start playing at home," Laine said. "I probably could have played last week but I wanted to get some more practices in and make sure I'm ready to go when I'm finally playing. But it will be cool to obviously start playing here. I've been watching too many games upstairs now, so I'm sure it will be great."
Acquired in a trade with the Columbus Blue Jackets on Aug. 19, Laine's last regular-season NHL game was with the Blue Jackets on Dec. 14, 2023, when he sustained a broken clavicle. The 26-year-old forward began receiving care from the NHL/NHLPA Player Assistance Program on Jan. 28. He was cleared from the program July 26.
Laine, who scored 44 goals for the Winnipeg Jets in 2017-18, had nine points (six goals, three assists) in 18 games last season and has two seasons remaining on the four-year, $34.8 million contract ($8.7 million average annual value) he signed July 22, 2022.
He has 388 points (204 goals, 184 assists) in 480 games with the Blue Jackets and Jets, and 16 points (eight goals, eight assists) in 24 Stanley Cup Playoff games.
"You felt the excitement from the fans but he was excited too," Canadiens coach Martin St. Louis said of Laine playing in the preseason. "I know it was short lived, and I think he's excited again tonight. I think he had an opportunity to really see how we want to play and I'm sure when he's watching games from the top he can see himself in our concept. It's not because you're watching that you're not getting better, so I think he's more prepared now to attack whatever he wants to attack within our team concept because he's watched enough."
