Mr Viral
As is often the case, especially in the playoffs, the situation surrounding Patrick Laine’s injury is rather nebulous.
During Game 2 of the series against Washington, Laine was playing a rather ordinary game and didn’t seem to be enjoying it, so much so that Martin St-Louis benched him during the third period.
Many thought this was to punish the Finnish forward. Yesterday, however, Laine was not present at the Habs’ morning training session, and the team announced just before the game that he would sit out due to an upper-body injury.
This already removed the possibility of a knee injury, as Laine was struck on his injured knee by Capitals players during the second game.
What’s more, Maxime Truman’s keen eye noticed that number 92 had difficulty clapping in the dressing room after last night’s game, probably indicating a right hand or wrist injury.
Patrik Laine clearly claps like someone with a sore wrist. pic.twitter.com/WP2GnhyDTF
– Maxime Truman (@MaximeTruman) April 26, 2025
Then, an X user noticed that in the video, Laine can be seen wearing some sort of protector on her ring finger, strongly suggesting an injury to that finger.
Looks like something is wrong with Laine’s finger.
Makes sense why he missed the net so much. https://t.co/RplPcWib4a pic.twitter.com/qq2JEhrE5e
– Ivan Demigod (@habsbuzz99) April 26, 2025
The kind of injury that can affect a player’s pitching.
And for the past few weeks, Laine has been having a lot of trouble reaching the opposing net despite having one of the most accurate shots in the NHL. This was particularly evident during the power play in Game 2 against the Capitals.
Let’s just say that a finger injury would explain what we’ve been observing for a while: the big Finn isn’t at 100%.
However, if Laine’s shooting accuracy seems to be affected by his injury, the strength of his shot is not, as Nicolas Cloutier explains in an article published today on TVA Sports.
According to NHL Edge, the velocity of Laine’s shot was about the same as usual in the playoffs.
But you’d think a finger injury would affect his dexterity and, by the same token, his accuracy. https://t.co/uG24FT3aZ2
– Nicolas Cloutier (@NCloutierTVA) April 26, 2025
The Finn’s hardest shot in the series was 88.06 mph (141.72 km/h), while his most powerful throw in the regular season was 90.69 mph (145.95 km/h).
So at least his injury doesn’t affect his velocity.
It may sound strange to say, but this injury comes at almost the perfect time for the Canadiens and Martin St-Louis, who don’t have to make the decision to leave Laine in the stands when the team has just played its best playoff game without him.
And if the players continue to perform like they did last night, that gives him time to recover from his injury and come back when he’s 100%.
Breaking news
– Defeat for CF Montéréal.
Red Bulls blank CF Montrealhttps://t.co/VLdWqpI2a1
– Radio-Canada Sports (@RC_Sports) April 26, 2025
– Charlie Lindgren is ready!
Charlie Lindgren ready for potential Game 4 start after injury to Logan Thompson: “Every day, I’ve kept on working to get to moments like this“https://t.co/Ge80UhFEbQ
– RMNB (@rmnb) April 26, 2025
– Knights tie the series.
VEGAS HAS TIED THE SERIES!
Ivan Barbashev wins Game 4 in @Energizer overtime for the @GoldenKnights! #StanleyCup pic.twitter.com/DQGSoCldst
– NHL (@NHL) April 26, 2025
– Gros save!
JAKE MCCABE LAYS ACROSS THE GOAL LINE TO KEEP THIS PUCK OUT!
(: @NHL_On_TNT) pic.twitter.com/AzT3FcPGxR
– BarDown (@BarDown) April 26, 2025
