Reporter Accuses Columbus Blue Jackets' Matthew Olivier of Targeting Patrik Laine

Amidst a rocky return matchup, reporter and former Montreal Canadiens goaltender Marc Denis accused Columbus Blue Jackets' Matthew Olivier of targeting Patrik Laine.

Patrik Laine has had a rocky personal life throughout his NHL career, and he has remained public even after his fairly recent move to the Montreal Canadiens from Columbus.

Though he gained considerable notoriety for his hopes of a "fresh start," Laine insinuated earlier in the day that there was still some bad blood between him and some involved with Blue Jackets.

In a pregame media interview, Patrick Laine shared that he felt Columbus gave up too early in the season; an issue he does not have with the Canadiens.

Moreover, Laine stated that he only cares about the fans who are happy for him, shading his former team while sharing his excitement about shutting them down.

However, things did not seem to go quite as he hoped during the game that started several hours later.

Patrik Laine was the most-targeted player early in the game, getting tackled four times before leaving for the game, totaling only 6:15 of ice time in the first period with concerns over a possible upper-body injury.

Understandably, this seemed like a case of instant payback to reporter and former NHL goaltender Marc Denis.

Denis, who played five years for the Columbus Blue Jackets but his last game for the Montreal Canadiens, accused one player, Mathieu Olivier, of team-wide targeting for his comments.

Mathieu Olivier, keeping his cards close to his chest, declined to directly comment.

Whether or not the goal for Columbus was to get Laine back for his comments, they succeeded in getting him off the ice and taking in a 4-5 regulation win.

As for Laine and the Canadiens, hopefully, whatever issue he was left with after the game is not too serious to impact the rest of his season.

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