Laine makes Canadiens debut

Patrik Laine made his long-awaited debut for the Montreal Canadiens during Tuesday's matchup against the New York Islanders.

He was activated off injured reserve before the contest.

The Canadiens acquired Laine in the summer, but the winger missed the campaign's first 24 games after suffering a knee injury in preseason.

"If somebody plays here and doesn't get fired up, I think there's something wrong with them," Laine said before Tuesday's game, according to Sportsnet's Eric Engels. "I think the crowd will be buzzing as always, and hopefully, as we play, and with the way that we play tonight, we're going to excite them even more."

Laine skated alongside Kirby Dach and Juraj Slafkovsky during Tuesday's morning skate.

"It's kinda like an early Christmas present," Dach said earlier Tuesday. "We're definitely all excited to have Patty back. It'll be fun to go out there and play with him tonight."

The 26-year-old's return is much needed for a Canadiens team hoping for a spark to turn the season around. Montreal sat last in the Eastern Conference with an 8-13-3 record and ranked 24th in scoring with 68 goals entering Tuesday's slate.

Laine should contribute in the goal department, as the 2016 No. 2 pick has 204 markers for his career to go with 184 assists. He posted six goals and three assists in 18 games with the Columbus Blue Jackets last season.

The Canadiens will certainly look to Laine to help their secondary scoring problem, considering Nick Suzuki and Cole Caufield are the team's only players with more than 15 points.