Max Pacioretty's Return to the Maple Leafs Inspires Intriguing New Third-Line
Toronto Maple Leafs forward Max Pacioretty is coming back from an injury and now, he is being placed on the third-line which boasts a never-tried-before combo.
Max Pacioretty has suffered a couple of injuries so far this season which isn't a surprise when you consider his age and his history.
That said, the forward is about to make his return to the lineup against the Minnesota Wild tonight and it has led to some interesting line changes from head coach Craig Berube.
Max Pacioretty slots in on the third line
As far as the top two lines are concerned, they are the same ones from the game against the Ottawa Senators.
Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner, and Bobby McMann lead the top line, while Max Domi, Pontus Holmberg, and William Nylander man the second line.
Meanwhile, the third line sees Max Pacioretty slotting in with Fraser Minten and Nick Robertson for the first time this season.
Domi - Holmberg - Nylander
Pacioretty - Minten - Robertson
Lorentz - Kampf - Reaves
Extra: Grebenkin
Rielly - McCabe
Ekman-Larsson - Tanev
Benoit - Myers
Hakanpaa - Timmins
Woll, Murray & Stolarz
This is going to make for a very interesting pairing, especially with Steven Lorentz, David Kampf, and Ryan Reaves making up the fourth line.
Pacioretty has had inconsistent production this season with five goals and seven assists, however, this might be the push he needs to get back into the swing of things.
The Leafs are currently on a two-game losing streak and this game against the Wild is one that they need to win in order to keep their lead in the Atlantic Division.
Their upcoming stretch of games will be difficult and it will show exactly what this team is made of.
