Laine makes early return from injury vs. Coyotes

Columbus Blue Jackets forward Patrik Laine returned to the ice well ahead of schedule, suiting up Tuesday against the Arizona Coyotes.

Laine suffered an upper-body injury on Oct. 12 in Columbus' season opener against the Carolina Hurricanes. He was originally expected to miss three-to-four weeks.

Instead, the 24-year-old is back after just 12 days. He participated in line rushes alongside Boone Jenner and Johnny Gaudreau at Tuesday's morning skate, according to team reporter Jeff Svoboda.

"I felt pretty good the last four, five days, so I was kind of surprised how good I was feeling that quickly after the injury," Laine said Tuesday.

The initial timeline made Laine questionable for Columbus' upcoming NHL Global Series games in his hometown of Tampere, Finland. But his speedy recovery should allow him to play against the Colorado Avalanche on Nov. 4 and Nov. 5, barring any setbacks.

Laine tallied 26 goals and 56 points in 56 games in 2021-22, the first point-per-game season of his career.

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