The Vegas Golden Knights Max Pacioretty is considered day-to-day with an upper-body injury after leaving Friday nights game against the Tampa Bay Lightning.

Max Pacioretty is “day-to-day” but Gallant sounded very unsure about it. Told me me trainers could tell him something else later. #VegasBorn

— Jesse Granger (@JesseGranger_) October 27, 2018

Max Pacioretty Injured

Vegas head coach Gerard Gallant announced Pacioretty suffered an upper-body injury after taking a hard hit from Tampa Bay defenceman Braydon Coburn. His status is currently unknown for Sunday’s home game against the Ottawa Senators. The slow nature of the update suggests Pacioretty was evaluated for a concussion but may have avoided one.

Pacioretty left the ice Friday after taking a high hit from Coburn about five minutes into the game. The forward possessed the puck when Coburn connected with a hard shoulder directly to his face. Pacioretty hit the ice hard but did return to his feet. He immediately left the ice and went to the locker room. He did not return to the game.

What This Means for the Future

Vegas has been plagued with injuries this season. If the team is looking at Pacioretty being out for any amount of time, they’ll have a massive hole in their offensive. Pacioretty was a bold off-season acquisition for the team. He came over from the Montreal Canadiens in September by way of a trade involving Tomas Tatar, Nick Suzuki, and a second-round pick in the 2019 NHL Draft. Pacioretty only has two goals so far, but he’s proven himself to be a 60 point per season player in the past.

The Knights second line has been struggling this season. Paul Stastny is also out with a lower-body injury that could potentially sideline him for three months. This has the team facing the loss of two key players.

On the other hand, Alex Tuch has returned after being placed on injured reserve. Vegas will undoubtedly look to both Tuch and Cody Eakin to pick up the slack through Pacioretty’s absence.

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