Jets flying low with loss of Laine
Winnipeg’s super rookie suffers suspected concussion after hit from Sabres’ McCabe
BUFFALO — If you didn’t know any better, the sight of Patrik Laine strolling out of the arena and toward the bus wouldn’t move the news needle one bit.
But the fact the scene of him walking out on his own power, with his headphones on top of his toque, came less than an hour after the Winnipeg Jets winger had seemingly been knocked unconscious momentarily after a collision with Buffalo Sabres defenceman Jake McCabe in Saturday’s game had to be taken as a good sign.
Without much information relating to the initial diagnosis, it doesn’t make much sense to speculate on the nature of the injury — though video replays suggest Laine might have been knocked out when his head collided with McCabe and before he actually landed on the ice — make it increasingly likely he suffered a concussion.
“No update yet,” said Jets head coach Paul Maurice, whose club dropped to 19-20-3 on the season after the 4-3 loss. “I don’t have a problem with the hit. They hit heads. It was a straight-on hit.”
If it’s a concussion, the severity of the injury or how long Laine could be out of the Jets’ lineup might not be known for a few days at the very least.
The Jets took a 3-1 lead into the third period before things fell apart.
The tide had already turned early in the period as the Sabres cut into the lead when Marcus Foligno took advantage of a bad line change and beat Jets goalie Connor Hellebuyck on a breakaway at 5:12.
Zemgus Girgensons tied the game 26 seconds later, beating Jacob Trouba to the net during a one-onone battle and burying a rebound.
The biggest blow may have come when Laine was drilled by McCabe after accepting a pass in the neutral zone from linemate Mark Scheifele.
It was a scary scene as Laine was left laying on his back and looking skyward after the devastating contact.
Laine, who appeared to hit his head on the ice when he landed, was looked over by Jets athletic therapist Rob Milette, rose to his feet and made his way to the dressing room, but didn’t return to the game.
Scheifele went right after McCabe and appeared to deliver a crosscheck on the Sabres’ defenceman, drawing a roughing minor.
“Yeah, it’s obviously tough to see a guy like (Laine) leave the game,” said Scheifele. “But we’ve got to rally when something like that happens and everyone has to pick it up to fill the void.”
What was the mood like on the bench after the hit?
“What do you think? (Laine) is our best player, arguably,” said Jets winger Drew Stafford, who scored a power-play goal in the second period. “It’s not good any time you see a guy in that kind of a position on the ice. I’ve been there before, it’s not a good feeling. Like I said, I don’t want to comment on the hit. It’s not my place, but I hope (Laine) is OK. It’s just unfortunate.”
Just over four minutes after Laine left the game, the Sabres scored a third unanswered goal as captain Brian Gionta showed great patience and got the puck over a sprawling Hellebuyck for the eventual game winner.
“The momentum was shifting at that point, so that (hit) probably bumped it in their direction a little bit more,” said Jets captain Blake Wheeler. “All of a sudden, we’re down a goal and (Laine) can provide instant offence. Not having him on the bench definitely hurts.”
Laine chipped in an assist on the opening goal of the game, dishing the puck over to Nikolaj Ehlers on a two-on-one rush that was created when Scheifele took a big hit from McCabe to make the play.
Laine, the second overall pick in the 2016 NHL draft, now has 21 goals and 37 points in 42 games this season.