Laine was executed with an elbow to the head.
Patrik Laine received a hard beating from the Swedish pack. AOP / USA TODAY SPORTS
Patrik Laine was brutally executed when the Columbus Blue Jackets beat the Calgary Flames 3–1 in the NHL.
Calgary Swedish pack Rasmus Andersson tackled Laine with an elbow to the head when the Finn tried to shoot the puck from the center of the puck into an empty goal. The situation happened in the very last seconds of the match.
Andersson’s trick was made even dirtier by the fact that he jumped off the ice while making the tackle.
Columbus Insider Jeff Svoboda reported Laine, skating away from the rink rather slowly. He lay frozen for a while after the rivet.
– A completely unnecessary tackle when the game was practically over. I hope Patty is okay, Svoboda wrote in X (formerly Twitter).
NHL fans loudly demanded a suspension for Andersson in X. When the final buzzer sounded, the Swede was given another five-minute penalty for an elbow tackle.
Laine did not score in the match, but hit the post twice. Suomalaitykki is one goal away from the 200-goal mark in the NHL, but it won’t take long to break.
Laine’s performance this season is 1+1 in four matches.
In the second NHL game of the night, the New Jersey Devils defeated the New York Islanders in overtime 5–4.