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Craig Berube stunned everyone when he moved Max Pacioretty up the Toronto Maple Leafs' lineup on Thursday morning. Many questioned the reasoning for moving Pacioretty into the top-six, as it seemed more likely he'd be a healthy scratch. However, Berube trusted in his veteran forward, and Pacioretty repaid that trust by scoring the series-clinching goal against the Ottawa Senators. It was a stunning player to score the winner, but you can't deny the feel-good story.
“Max Pacioretty's series-winning goal was his first goal since DECEMBER,” Bleacher Report's NHL account posted. “And his first playoff goal since 2021.”
Pacioretty has been in and out of the lineup due to injury, which has been his issue for the last few seasons. When he gets into the lineup, he brings a solid veteran presence, but he isn't consistent enough to nail down a spot. The issue with his old, beaten body is that it takes a while for him to get up to speed when he does return, which begins a never-ending cycle of trying to get comfortable.
Maple Leafs hope for more of the same from Max Pacioretty
The Maple Leafs must have all hands on deck to defeat the Panthers. It will be a much more difficult series than the Senators gave them, and they'll need to be better than they were in the past few games. If this is the start of a memorable run for Pacioretty, it could go a long way to the Leafs making a Stanley Cup bid.
The game-winning goal wasn't the only contribution Pacioretty made in Game 6. He also assisted on the William Nylander goal that made it 2-0 and had a team-high seven hits. It took one of their oldest players to step up for a team in the Maple Leafs that has struggled to find a clutch player in all their playoff failures over the years. Who will step up when they kick off round two against the Panthers?
