- ABC News
- December 18, 2024
MONTREAL -- Patrik Laine posted his first hat trick with the Montreal Canadiens, as his club extended the Buffalo Sabres' winless streak to 11 games with a 6-1 victory on Tuesday night. Juraj Slafkovsky, Joel Armia and Josh Anderson also scored for Montreal, and Cole Caufield, Nick Suzuki and Lane Hutson provided two assists each and Sam Montembeault stopped 20 shots. It has been a long road for Laine, who made his Montreal debut earlier this month. He sat out the season's first two months because of a knee injury after an offseason trade from the Columbus Blue Jackets in August via Laine's request. "He's been working hard, coming to the rink every day, trying to get better," Suzuki, Montreal's captain, said of Laine. "He's been doing the right things over and over again, and I'm happy that he got rewarded." Laine was skating in his second preseason game for Montreal in September when he...