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Jets coach Paul Maurice confirmed the injury on Sunday. There
is no timetable yet for Laine's return to the ice.
Laine was injured during a collision with Sabres defenseman Jake
McCabe with 5:51 remaining in the second period.
Laine was motionless on the ice for several minutes before being
helped back to the locker room by trainers. He did not return to
the game.
Maurice said the 18-year-old Finn, who was the second overall
pick in the 2016 NHL draft, is still upbeat in light of the
diagnosis.
"Patty's got a concussion," Maurice said. "He got tested out
last night; see doctors again today. So he'll start the stages
of recovery with that. We'll wait till the symptoms subside and
then you start increasing workload and getting back on the ice."
Laine is having a sensational first season, leading NHL rookies
with 37 points and is tied for the league lead in goals (21)
with Toronto Maple Leafs forward Auston Matthews.
While Laine is out, Maurice expects forward Drew Stafford to
fill in along with Mark Scheifele and Nikolaj Ehlers.
"It's our best player arguably," Stafford said. "It's not good
any time you see a guy in that kind of a position on the ice
with his helmet and the way he was. I've been there before."
After Saturday's game, the Jets said they didn't have an issue
with McCabe.
"It was a straight-on hit," said Maurice, adding that Laine and
McCabe banged heads after the collision.
(Editing by Andrew Both)
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