MONTREAL -- Montreal Canadiens forward Patrik Laine returned to the lineup Saturday night, scoring his club's lone goal in a 2-1 shootout loss to the Dallas Stars.

Laine, who missed the previous four games due to an illness, notched his ninth power-play goal of the season in just 14 games, but couldn't prevent the Stars from registering their seventh consecutive victory.

"It's always not fun to miss games," said Laine, who blasted a one-timer during a 5-on-3 power play late in the second period. "So, it was good to be back, and it didn't feel awful. It felt like I had a pretty decent game."

After the veteran sat out the season's first two months because of a knee injury, Laine now has nine goals and 11 points this season, his first with Montreal. Before Saturday, Laine, who was named Montreal's player of the month for December, last played on New Year's Eve.

Last season, while with the Columbus Blue Jackets, the 26-year-old was limited to only 18 games while rehabbing a broken clavicle. He then spent time in the NHL/NHLPA Player Assistance Program from January to July.

Jamie Benn scored his 12th of the season for Dallas in the win, and Jason Robertson's snap shot past Sam Montembeault was the only puck to land in the net during the shootout.

"Obviously, they have a really good team," Laine said of the Stars. "And they play hard, and they forecheck hard, so there's not too much time. But I feel like, after the first (period), we improved, and we had every opportunity like they did."

Dallas goaltender Jake Oettinger stopped Laine, Cole Caufield and Nick Suzuki in the shootout, and made 30 saves overall. On the other side of the ice, Montembeault made 34 saves for Montreal, which lost for only the third time in 12 games.

"Our job as a staff is to make sure we're all on the same page on the ice," Montreal coach Martin St. Louis said. "After that, I feel they can coach themselves on the ice, and when you have that, it's clear. Guys are vocal on the bench, and we're going to try to keep growing that."

The Associated Press contributed to this report.