Canadian-Jets | Patrik Laine taunts Connor Hellebuyck before their first confrontation

(Winnipeg) Even though he left the Winnipeg Jets organization four years ago, Patrik Laine only faced his former team three times.

Twice, he faced goalkeeper David Rittich, and once, against Eric Comrie. Two auxiliaries, then. But never to Connor Hellebuyck, who was given time off for these three duels.

Hellebuyck and Laine both played their first full NHL season in Winnipeg in 2016-17, and they spent four years together before the Finn was traded to the Columbus Blue Jackets.

During a press scrum on Saturday morning, a few hours before a match between the Canadian and the Jets, the striker expressed the wish that the American would defend the local net in the evening. When the reporters confirmed that this was the case, Laine smiled and suspected the doorman of having until then used the excuse of having the flu to avoid confronting him. A “ Patty flu “, he said in English.

“I mean, I understand it…” Laine added, deadpan, despite the hilarity his remark caused. More seriously, he added that he was looking forward to this match in Winnipeg. “It’ll be fun.” »

Even if he wore the colors of another team between his stays with the Jets and the CH, his time in the city where he made his debut created an obvious excitement, which he seems to share elsewhere.

“I’m always happy to come back, even if it’s a little cold for my liking these days,” he said, referring to Friday’s freezing weather. I have many good memories of this amphitheater. »

It was in fact in the Manitoba capital that Laine experienced the best moments of his career to date. And he admitted that since his departure, he has taken great pleasure in impressing his former teammates. He actually amassed four points in three games against the Jets.

However, he was careful to point out that his priorities were to leave Winnipeg with two points in the standings and to make people “forget the last match”.

Turn the page

The moment of levity offered by Patrik Laine was indeed timely, after 36 rather heavy hours with the Habs which began with Thursday evening’s humiliating defeat against the Pittsburgh Penguins. In the third period of a match that had until then been quite close, Martin St-Louis’ men collapsed, allowing six goals to their opponents.

The team is challenging itself to “bounce back,” as Jake Evans summed it up. A sadly known refrain this season, since it was already the fourth time that the Canadian lost by a margin of four goals or more. We can also talk about a sixth real beating in total, if we add to the list the two 6-3 losses in Washington, at the end of October, and in Boston, at the beginning of December.

CH’s record in the match following the first five poor performances? Two victories and three defeats, including one in overtime.

What version of themselves will the Montrealers offer this Saturday evening, against one of the best teams in the NHL, and while the Habs are one of the worst clubs on the circuit on the road? That remains to be seen.

What is certain is that Martin St-Louis is counting on this game to “turn the page” on Thursday’s carnage

“If you have a team of veterans, you turn the page [rapidement]he explained. For a young team, you have to talk about it first. Our conversations and our work [vendredi]in training, [contribuent] to turn the page. The last step is tonight’s match. »

It is not the final score that will give him the content of his players’ response, he clarified, but their “actions” on the ice. Especially at the very beginning of the meeting.

Since Thursday, have the coach’s interventions with his group been more tactical or psychological? Martin McGuire of 98.5 FM asked him.

“I did what I had to do,” St-Louis replied dryly. It’s up to his team to do the same.

The Canadian’s lineup against the Jets in Winnipeg could be the same as the one that faced the Pittsburgh Penguins, unless David Savard is able to return to the game. The Quebec defenseman skated on Saturday morning, but a decision on his participation in the match will only be taken in the early evening.