Patrik Laine nets hat trick against stumbling Buffalo Sabres

Patrik Laine has been welcomed into the Montreal Canadiens organization with open arms, and the support the fanbase has given Laine is second to none.

The Bell Centre faithful are familiar with what Laine brings to the ice, and I think even though he had struggled with many things; there was always a glimpse of hope that he can get back to the level we believe he is capable of reaching. A big part of scoring goals for the elite shooters is the mental game, and if something is off somewhere else, the production can be reflective of that.

If you have been able to watch Laine play with the Canadiens, you can see that he has room to improve and adjust. But you can also plainly see that the guy still has all the potential in the world to regain his elite goal-scorer form. His shot is as lethal as it has ever been, and his confidence is on the rise.

I think the prospect of being able to line up with Lane Hutson, Cole Caufield and Nick Suzuki for the next decade is an intriguing one. That's not to mention the other guys who could one day factor into the top power-play unit alignment (Ivan Demidov and Michael Hage). At 26 years old, Laine is one of the older forwards, and he has gone through quite a bit in his young career.

The youth infusion in the Habs lineup has got to be extremely exciting, especially when you consider that Laine is searching for a Stanley Cup ring and could become one of the leaders for the Habs. If the Habs need a big goal, being able to lean on Laine and Cole Caufield makes the team that much more difficult to play against.

Hat trick Laine

Montreal was looking for a win, after a 9-2 loss, then a spirited 4-2 loss, the boys needed some good things to start happening. Laine knew the Sabres were struggling and so did the rest of the Canadiens, but they didn't take their opponents lightly. When Laine got his chances, he made sure to make them count.

For some reason that probably nobody knows, especially Sabres head coach Lindy Ruff, the Sabres left Laine wide open on the power-play. He made them pay for their mistake with one of the nastiest one-timers, marking his fourth goal of the season. Simply put, the shot came off his stick so fast and with such accuracy, most goalies weren't stopping it.

Up to this point, Laine hasn't scored more than one goal in a game for the Canadiens. But the Sabres presented him with an opportunity to net multiple tallies. They played with fire again allowing Laine another chance to shoot freely.

Laine beat Luukkonen in nearly the same spot as his first goal, and then hat trick watch was activated. The prospect of Laine scoring is one that gets every Habs fan and player excited, so one goal is great. But a hat trick is special, and the boys would surely love to see Laine net three goals.

Penalties have a way of completely stealing the narrative of a game, and unfortunately for the Sabres, their night was all about poor penalties. Laine, on the other side was all about making them pay for their mistakes. I'm not sure that any of the three goals he scored wouldn't be seen as torture - Laine terrorized Luukkonen - and he has been such a treat for the Habs.

The third one was just pure filth and you have to think that he is feeling pretty confident at this juncture. It's on and off his stick in a matter of seconds and somehow he has just mastered the one-touch shot. Alex Ovechkin-esque power and release, Laine is an impressive shooter to watch.