Aho, Laine reunited as Finland linemates at 4 Nations Face-Off

BROSSARD, Quebec -- Finland is counting on Sebastian Aho and Patrik Laine rekindling some old magic at the 4 Nations Face-Off.

It's been more than nine years, though, since they combined forces as linemates to torment defenders and help Finland win gold at the 2016 IIHF World Junior Championship. Can that chemistry come back instantly when Finland plays its opening game against the United States at Bell Centre in Montreal on Thursday (8 p.m. ET; ESPN, ESPN+, SN, TVAS)?

"I hope so. And I do think so," Aho said. "Once you have it, you always kind of know how the other guy thinks and how he likes to play. It's [nine] years ago now, so we still need a lot of talking, a couple practices here and just try to recreate that chemistry."

Aho had 14 points (five goals, nine assists) in seven games at the 2016 World Juniors. Laine had 13 points and tied United States forward Auston Matthews for the tournament lead with seven goals. Laine and Aho each had a goal and an assist in Finland's 4-3 overtime victory against Russia in the gold medal game.

"It was pretty amazing," said Finland defenseman Niko Mikkola. "They were scoring every game at least two goals. They had chemistry right away from the start."

The difference at 4 Nations other than their ages -- Aho is 27 and Laine is 26 -- is Roope Hintz will play left wing on the line with Aho at center and Laine on the right. Jesse Puljujarvi, who was not selected for this tournament, was the other wing in 2016.

Laine is optimistic the revamped combination with Hintz added will click too.

"It worked back then and I've kind of always felt that good players they find a way to play with each other," Laine said. "I don't think it's going to be an issue at all. Then, obviously, with Roope on the other side, those guys can really fly and make plays, so I'll try to stay out of the way and let them do the skill plays and I'll be in front from the net."

Aho has 55 points (20 goals, 35 assists) in 55 games for the Carolina Hurricanes this season. Laine has 18 points (12 goals, six assists) in 28 games with the Montreal Canadiens since returning Dec. 3 from a knee injury he sustained in the preseason that caused him to miss the first 24 games. His 10 power-play goals are still the most on Finland's roster but is without a point in his past eight games and hasn't scored in his past 10.

Finland coach Antti Pennanen hopes that playing with Aho and Hintz will spark Laine out of his slump.

"I spoke with Laine on Monday, and we had a really good conversation," Pennanen said. "And now he's going to play with Aho and Hintz. Hintz has been amazing lately and Aho and Hintz, they're going to skate with the puck, and they would like to play with high speed, so I think those abilities will force Laine to also play with high speed. So, I think it's going to be a good combination for us."

Hintz has 36 points (22 goals, 14 assists) in 51 games with the Dallas Stars this season. He also played for Finland's 2016 WJC team and remembers how, "They were probably the best line in the whole tournament."

The 28-year-old will do his best to fill the role Puljujarvi did back then.

"I feel good about it," Hintz said. "My role probably is to use my speed and then obviously work two-way. We'll try to make plays and try to get some chemistry and talk with the line what we're going to do."

Those conversations have gone on in practice the past two days. Aho understands part of his job as the center on the line is to bring out the best in Laine, who scored eight goals in his first nine games this season, including a hat trick in a 6-1 win against the Buffalo Sabres at Bell Centre on Dec. 17.

That provided a reminder of the player who scored an NHL career-high 44 goals for the Winnipeg Jets in 2017-18 in just his second NHL season. After following up with 30 goals in 2018-19, Laine has been plagued by injuries and inconsistency and hasn't reached the mark since then.

Perhaps playing with Aho again will bring back more than good memories.

"We definitely had good chemistry in that tournament and played really well together," Aho said. "Hopefully, we're able to do that again. Obviously, a special shot. I kind of have to find him and let him rip the puck. That's probably what makes him special is just his shot and ability to score."

Laine's 2016 WJC experience wasn't his only success playing for Finland. He was named most valuable player of the 2016 IIHF World Championship as an 18-year-old when he had 12 points (seven goals, five assists) in 10 games to help Finland finish second. That led to him representing Finland at the World Cup of Hockey 2016 in Toronto, where he skated with Aho and Aleksander Barkov.

"It's always great to put that jersey on," Laine said. "Obviously, it's been a while since the last time I've been able to do that, so it's always special. I'm playing with some old friends that I played juniors with and some new familiar faces as well, so I think it's a good mix and we're all having fun out there."

Laine is also looking forward to playing Finland's first two games of the tournament -- they face Sweden on Saturday -- at his home NHL arena in front of Montreal fans who have embraced him since he was acquired in a trade with the Columbus Blue Jackets on Aug. 19.

"I've really, really enjoyed being here and being able to put that (Finland) jersey on in my new home rink, it's pretty cool," Laine said. "And on top of that, we don't have to play Canada here, so that's always nice not to get booed.

"So, hopefully, they'll be cheering me."