It was Laine's 18th goal of the season, and his first in five games.
Prior to the four-game drought, he had notched five goals in five contests, and that was preceded by a stretch in which he managed only one goal in 10 games.
Laine's streakiness is typical of an 18-year-old in his first NHL campaign, but there's no denying his talent, or the fact that he's already among the league's elite finishers.
Gaborik missed the first 21 games of the regular season with a foot injury he sustained while competing at the World Cup. Since his return, he's recorded four points in nine games, but has found the back of the net just once.
Injuries limited Gaborik to 54 games last season, in which he scored 12 goals, but he tallied 27 the year prior, despite missing 13 matches.
Gaborik, 34, has four years remaining on his contract, at a $4.88-million cap hit.
Speaking with reporters prior to Monday's match between the Anaheim Ducks and Toronto Maple Leafs, the former Leafs bench boss clarified, "Jake Gardiner, people said that there was a relationship that was strained. They're crazy. It was not strained at all.
"The issue was more of a young defenseman cutting his teeth, and now you're seeing more of a finished product, and that's great for them."
Gardiner, 26, broke into the league under Carlyle, making his NHL debut during the 2011-12 season. It also marked Carlyle's first season in Toronto, who came on as a midseason replacement for fired head coach Ron Wilson. That season, Gardiner finished with an impressive 30-point rookie campaign.
Carlyle, who now mans the bench in Anaheim, recounted the several faces still with the Maple Leafs since he spent part of four seasons behind the Toronto bench. Aside from Gardiner, that list includes forwards Tyler Bozak, James van Riemsdyk, and Nazem Kadri, plus defenseman Morgan Rielly.
Oh, and netminder Jonathan Bernier, who followed Carlyle to Anaheim.
Bernier also spoke with reporters on Sunday but could not confirm if he would get the start in goal versus his former club. Bernier, who spent three seasons with the Maple Leafs, has appeared in 13 games with the Ducks this season, posting a 6-2-1 record alongside a .901 save percentage.
A timeline on Gudbranson's recovery will be provided following the surgery.
"Erik suffered ligament damage to his wrist this season that has affected his wrist function," Canucks general manager Jim Benning said in a statement. "Erik's leadership qualities and strong physical presence will be missed but this is a decision that best supports a long, productive, and healthy career."
Gudbranson has appeared in 30 games this season, scoring one goal and five assists.
The owner of the Ottawa Senators spoke out Friday, voicing his displeasure over the team's falling attendance numbers, despite the Senators' rise in the standings.
"It's unfortunate," Melnyk told Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Citizen. "Everybody is kind of pointing at each other but we played 17 games (at home) in the first two months and when we saw that we could have changed that at first, but we didn't think of the ramifications (and) that's a lot of games."
Averaging 15,343 fans this season, the Senators sit 23rd in league-wide attendance, and more than 1,200 seats below the next Canadian franchise. At 80.1 capacity, just four clubs - the Columbus Blue Jackets, Arizona Coyotes, New York Islanders, and Carolina Hurricanes - fill out less of their barns.
Rank
Team
Average
% Capacity
23
Senators
15 343
80.1
24
Avalanche
14 953
83.0
25
Devils
14 587
88.3
26
Panthers
14 318
84.0
27
Blue Jackets
13 497
74.4
28
Coyotes
12 781
74.6
29
Islanders
12 556
79.4
30
Hurricanes
11 152
59.7
"I was shocked we weren't sold out for the Leafs' opener," Melynk continued. "But then again, football was in full swing, the Jays had their run, and you had a lot of stuff happening. If somebody went once, twice a week, that was a big deal. We were playing three games a week."
The Senators play out of the Canadian Tire Centre in Kanata, a nearby suburb of Ottawa. It's a long commute that's easy to keep fans at home, but what about the cost of a seat?
"The prices are not too high. We are one of the lowest prices in the league. It's a fair price," said Melnyk, who is insistent on moving the team to Ottawa's downtown core.
Season
Average
Rank
% Capacity
Rank
2016-17
15 343
23
80.1
26
2015-16
18 084
17
94.4
24
2014-15
18 246
16
95.3
22
2013-14
18 108
13
94.5
21
2012-13
19 408
6
101.3
5
Melnyk believes attendance figures will be stronger in an arena that is more accessible to fans. In November, Melnyk's group, RendezVous LeBreton, was chosen to negotiate an arena development in the downtown Ottawa district of LeBreton Flats.
But that new facility is still several years out, with shovels not expected to break ground until 2018, at the earliest.
As for Melnyk, in November, the oft-outspoken owner penned an editorial to the Citizen, writing, "Running the Ottawa Senators is not an easy business. Consider the fact that the team is currently eighth overall in the NHL and the second-best performing Canadian team, and yet we are far from sellouts at our home games."
Melnyk's concern is understandable given the team's winning record and its exciting nucleus of talented stars, including Mark Stone, Mike Hoffman, Kyle Turris, and two-time Norris Trophy winner Erik Karlsson.
The Senators' performance at the gate has been the opposite of its play on the ice. With a 17-11-3 record through 31 games, Ottawa sits second in the Atlantic. Of the seven Canadian clubs, only the Montreal Canadiens own a better record.
"I'm hoping now that we're doing very well on the ice (attendance will increase) and I hope we continue to do well and remembering we've been out of the playoffs two of the last three years and that one year we lasted a round," Melnyk said. "We have to turn that around and become a playoff team every year and then you'll see (fans) come back."
Not long ago, Senators fans witnessed a string of on-ice success, as the team ran an 11-year playoff run up until 2008, including a trip to the Stanley Cup Finals the year prior.
While the Senators have qualified for the postseason in more than half of the seasons since that time, including three of the last five years, an opening series victory over the Canadiens in 2013 is the only round the Senators have won since 2007.
"We are going to do whatever we can to lift that attendance," Melnyk added. "The players are noticing and that's what concerns me. The players want the fans to come out. Just ask the players, the fans really help."
That's the mindset that coach John Tortorella has established with his club, one he joined last season after an 0-7 start led to the firing of then bench boss Todd Richards.
Following the coaching change, the Blue Jackets finished one game over .500 down the stretch. That success has carried over to the current season, as Columbus holds a 19-5-4 record through 28 games, good for fifth place in the entire NHL.
Part of that success comes from shedding what Tortorella describes as a "country club" atmosphere that plagued the Columbus locker room.
"I think we've made strides, even from last year. We're more professional with how we go about it. We're more business-like with how we go about it," Tortorella told reporters. "To me, it was a bit of a country club, 'This is okay. We played pretty good, but we lost. We were pretty good, so let's just get our practice done today.'
"It's about each particular day and what is needed to get your workday in the proper way and do it right. Then let's worry about tomorrow. I think we've just been a focused group on the day. That's a huge plus for this club."
But that doesn't mean that the fiery bench boss won't continue to raise the bar.
"I think we have to raise the standard if we want to compete in this league. We've had a pretty good start here, but that means nothing," Tortorella added. "We have to be better because other teams are going to get better here as we go through, and that's the understanding a young group has to understand, and a group that has simply gone along and played and said 'this is okay'. That's why you end up in 27th, or wherever you're going to be.
"We are not good enough as a hockey club to worry about anything that happened before or what's going to happen in front of us here. We have to concentrate on what's going on this particular day."
While the season is not yet at its halfway point, the early signs are there that the Blue Jackets will advance to the postseason for just the third time in franchise history. Columbus joined the NHL in 2000 and made the playoffs in 2009 and 2014, but has never won a playoff series.
Season
Record
Points
Playoffs
2015-16
34-40-8
76
Missed
2014-15
42-35-5
89
Missed
2013-14
43-32-7
93
Lost in Round 1
2012-13
24-17-7
55
Missed
2011-12
29-46-7
65
Missed
Columbus has found its offense this season, as just five teams top the Blue Jackets' 94 goals for, while just one team has scored more goals per game.
A big part of that success is due to forward Sam Gagner, who leads the team with 13 goals. A late addition by the Blue Jackets, Gagner didn't sign with the team until August, as his future in the league was in doubt after a few lesser seasons with the Philadelphia Flyers and Arizona Coyotes.
Gagner agreed to a one-year, prove-it deal in the Ohio capital - at $650,000, only two players earn less than Gagner - using the opportunity to rediscover both his confidence and his scoring touch.
"When we talked about signing him, we wanted him as a center because we felt that we needed some more plays made out of the middle of the ice, and he's a right-handed center too," Tortorella said. "I don't think he's a center. I don't think he played well as a center. I had him out of the lineup as a center. We put him on the wing and it just seemed to work.
"There's not a chance - and if a coach is telling you that they have it figured out before it happens on the ice and say, 'Yeah, he's gonna do this, that, and the other thing', that's bullshit. It is finding out what the player can do and then trying to find him those spots that you feel his strengths are by watching him play first, and Sam Gagner is a perfect definition of that.
"And (coaches) make mistakes at it too. There is always going to be a little bit of a trial and error, and it may change three weeks later, depending on what's going on with that player and what's going on with another player that wants his job.
"That's where a kind of accountability comes into play, in, 'Okay, you're doing it now. You better keep on doing it, because that guy is crawling up your ass here. He wants that spot too."
Follow theScore's fantasy feed on Twitter (@theScoreFantasy) for the latest news, features and more. And download Squad Up, theScore's free-to-win-money sports game.
Here is a look at the Squad Up daily NHL fantasy picture for Sunday, December 18:
Triple Threat
C Bryan Little (45K), RW Patrik Laine (46K), D Dustin Byfuglien (52K), Jets (vs. Avalanche): Laine's points-per-game pace has slowed a bit with only a single assist in his last four, but he has been a monster at home where he has 18 points in 16 games. Byfuglien is just outside the top tier of defensemen and Little is on a three-game point streak.
C David Krejci (55K), LW Brad Marchand (71K), RW David Backes (43K), Bruins (vs. Kings): With RW David Pastrnak sidelined because of surgery, a shake-up to the lineup is likely. This trio hasn't skated together often of late, but Krejci is a better option than the higher priced Patrice Bergeron. The traveling Kings have struggled on the road.
C Joe Pavelski (72K), LW Patrick Marleau (44K), Brent Burns (72K), Sharks (at Blackhawks): You'll have to go cheap at RW, and Marleau is far from a lock, but if this contrarian line hits, it will hit big. The Blackhawks played Saturday, and got marked up to the tune of four goals despite ultimately winning. Fatigue should even the playing field.
Goalie Breakdown
TARGET/BARGAIN - Sergei Bobrovsky (75K), Blue Jackets (at Canucks): Bobrovsky is in the conversation for the Vezina and the Blue Jackets haven't lost in regulation over their last 10 games. No team has allowed fewer goals, and it's in large part due to Bobrovsky. At the minimum price, against a team that has mostly struggled to score, he is a must.
FADE - Scott Darling (99K), Blackhawks (vs. Sharks): Darling is the priciest goalie on Sunday's slate. He played Saturday and is not worth investing in due to fatigue and allowing eight goals in his last two starts.
CONTRARIAN - Cory Schneider (77K), Devils (at Rangers): Schneider is a massive risk. He's allowed 14 goals in three games. He's been pelted with shots, but that doesn't excuse it. He's a more palatable risk than Darling, though, because the Rangers are on the second half of a back-to-back. Few will be bold enough to roll the dice.
Bargain Plays
RW Marian Gaborik (27K), Kings (at Bruins): Gaborik has gone point-less in three straight after notching points in four of five. He's streaky and gets minimal time with the top scorers on the roster. Still, he's priced near the minimum and even a small return can help. Stick with him in tournament formats because he could easily come up empty.
C Sam Gagner (25K), Blue Jackets (at Canucks): Ride the wave. Gagner has been the best offensive threat in Columbus during their streak. He has nine points in five games. It's likely unsustainable, but the price is right and the Canucks have allowed 10 goals in two games.
Top Fades
C Patrice Bergeron (64K), Bruins (vs. Kings): As long as Bergeron is priced this high, he can't be rostered. He has nine points in 29 games, and while bad luck is part of it, and a turnaround is likely, the results have simply not been there. He's a hold in season-long, but avoid at all costs in daily.
RW Kyle Palmieri (52K), Devils (at Rangers): Palmieri is taking fewer shots per game than he did in his breakout season a year ago, which combined with a worse shooting percentage has reduced his production drastically. The scorching Antti Raanta should be in net for New York. Palmieri is staring another goalless game in the face.
Contrarian Options
C Matt Duchene (60K), Avalanche (at Jets): Duchene and teammate Nathan MacKinnon have played far better on the road than at home. Duchene has 13 points in 12 road games, helping the team to a 7-7 record compared to a 4-10-1 home record. While this may be anomalous, his scoring potential is real, though he's been aided by a lucky 20.3 shooting percentage.
LW Daniel Sedin (61K), Canucks (vs. Blue Jackets): Hard to believe that: a) Vancouver has scored 10 goals in two games and b) Sedin has but a lone assist to show for it. Few will consider him, even at home, with Bobrovsky tending net. He and his brother remain fairly consistent on the whole, however, and his poor showings can't be focused on.
The Predators ultimately shipped Vesey to the Buffalo Sabres in a June deal, only for Vesey to later sign his entry-level deal with the Rangers.
That disloyalty received heavy scorn from the Nashville faithful, as heckles rained down at Bridgestone Arena.
As fate would have it, Saturday's game went to the shootout, with Vesey scoring one of the two goals in the extra round to seal the victory for the Blueshirts.
The general manager of the Vegas Golden Knights is considering former NHL bench bosses Craig Berube and Kirk Muller among a list of candidates as the first head coach in Sin City, Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Sun reports.
Berube, 51, served as head coach of the Philadelphia Flyers for two seasons, most recently in 2015. The Flyers were eliminated in the opening round of the playoffs in Berube's first year, while a postseason miss in his second season ultimately led to his firing. Berube currently serves as head coach of the Chicago Wolves, the St. Louis Blues' AHL affiliate.
Muller, 50, served as head coach of the Carolina Hurricanes for three seasons, most recently in 2014, after five seasons as an assistant coach with the Montreal Canadiens. Muller never made the playoffs in three years in Raleigh. He has since returned to the Canadiens, where he serves as associate coach.
Both coaches have connections to McPhee. Muller and McPhee were teammates in the New Jersey Devils organization during the 1988-89 season, while Berube played part of three seasons with the Washington Capitals while McPhee served as GM.
The Golden Knights expect to make a coaching announcement in March or April.
