Winnipeg Jets forward Patrik Laine has lit the lamp 99 times since breaking into the NHL, but in his opinion, the one he scored in his debut game against the Carolina Hurricanes is the best of the bunch.

“I would probably take the first one, that was my favourite,” Laine told Gino Reda on 7-Eleven That’s Hockey. “Obviously you get to score your first one, once. That was pretty special and to share that with my family, I think that one is my favourite.

“I remember that I got (the puck) from (Tobias) Enstrom on the power play, third period, it was a two-goal game. (Drew) Stafford made a great screen in front of the goalie and I just tried to hit the net and it went post in. It was pretty exciting.”

Laine currently leads the NHL in goals, while fellow Finns Mikko Rantanen of the Colorado Avalanche and Pekka Rinne of the Nashville Predators have the top spots in points and save percentage, respectively. The 20-year-old believes that shows the health of Finnish hockey.

“I think we’re doing pretty well, I’ve heard that’s never happened before,” said Laine. “That tells you something about Finnish hockey and that we’re doing really well right now. We have a lot of great forwards, defencemen and goalies. Hopefully we keep going like this and be at the same spot when the season ends.”

As for Laine personally, after his five-goal game against the St. Louis Blues on Saturday, Finnish legend and Hockey Hall of Famer Teemu Selanne tweeted positively about the accomplishment, which made the moment even better.

“He’s obviously a huge hockey person and just regular person in Finland and a lot of kids, including me, watched him play,” said Laine. “It’s pretty awesome to hear that from your idol, so I’m proud of myself.”

Now on the doorstep of 100 goals in his young NHL career, Laine is still favouring team success; though putting the puck in the net is not so bad either.

“It’s a lot of fun, playing in the best league in the world, scoring every game,” said Laine. “Obviously winning would be more fun, we won the last game so that was huge for us. Winning is more fun than scoring, but I’m having a blast."