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The Montreal Canadiens defeated the New York Islanders by a 2-1 final score in overtime on Tuesday night at Bell Centre, a game that featured the regular season debut of first-year Habs forward Patrik Laine.
Laine had missed the entire season up to Tuesday night after being injured in exhibition play following a questionable knee-on-knee collision with Toronto Maple Leafs forward Cedric Pare in late September.
He made the most of his debut, scoring his first goal of the season in his first official game with his new club:
https://Twitter .com/NHL/status/1864117504202731655
The crowd at Bell Centre gave Laine a standing ovation after he was named the game's first star, something he said he'll remember forever.
“It's like, I don't deserve this, not at all,” he said of the reception he’s receiving via Daniel Rainbird of the Canadian Press. “It'll be something for sure I'll remember forever, that was the coolest thing I've ever seen, just getting that welcome.”
“It was pretty special,” he added. “It'll be in a very tight competition with my first-ever career goal, this one over here. It's pretty humbling, best crowd in the League for sure.”
Laine and the Canadiens will continue their schedule when they bring in the struggling Nashville Predators to Bell Centre on Thursday.
Patrik Laine finally made his long-awaited Canadiens debut
Laine is in his first season with the Canadiens after being acquired via trade with the Columbus Blue Jackets along with a second-round pick in the 2026 NHL Draft in exchange for defenseman Jordan Harris.
Before Tuesday, Laine hadn't played a regular-season game since December 14 of last year. He suffered a broken clavicle and then entered the NHLPA Player Assistance Program the following month due to mental health struggles, spending several months in the program before being cleared in July.
