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.

Montreal forward Patrik Laine did not attend the Canadiens' morning skate prior to Friday's Game 3 of their Eastern Conference first-round series against the visiting Washington Capitals. Per the team,

Patrik Laine, who was benched late in Wednesday's Game 2 loss after a difficult first two period, is out for Game 3 due to an upper-body injury.