The Toronto Maple Leafs are taking on an Original Six divisional rival for the second consecutive night, facing the Montreal Canadiens at Scotiabank Arena after defeating the Detroit Red Wings on Friday night.

However, they've lost a key piece of veteran depth from their lineup. Former Canadiens captain Max Pacioretty, who is in his first season with the Leafs after signing during the offseason as a free agent, was injured and has been officially ruled out for the remainder of the contest.

He went down in a heap in the slot in front of Canadiens goaltender Sam Montembeault after taking a cross-check from defenseman Mike Matheson. He was in immediate discomfort and eventually made his way back to the bench.

There's been no official word regarding the severity of Pacioretty's injury from the Leafs, but given his past history, there's certainly reason to be concerned.

Maple Leafs F Max Pacioretty has already suffered a pair of Achilles tears

Toronto Maple Leafs left wing Max Pacioretty (67) skates during the warmup before a game against the Pittsburgh Penguins at Scotiabank Arena.
Nick Turchiaro-Imagn Images

Pacioretty has already missed considerable time in his career after suffering not one but two separate tears of his Achilles tendon. The first took place when he was training for the season when he had joined the Carolina Hurricanes ahead of the 2022-23 season.

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The second took place in January of that season only a few games after he had made his debut; he missed the remainder of that respective season. He recently spoke about the adversity he's faced in his career, via X.

“I’ve been through it all, but at this stage of my career, I don’t have any other choice but to come in and play the way the team needs me to,” he said. “It’s late to find a role, but I have to keep it now. It’s a bit different from my role earlier in my career, but I’ll take it.”

In his first season with the Maple Leafs, Pacioretty has played in 12 games and has scored two goals with four assists. In 914 career games with the Canadiens, Golden Knights, Hurricanes, Capitals and Maple Leafs, he's scored a total of 332 goals and 342 assists; he's also added 25 goals and 25 assists in 78 career playoff games.