Vegas Golden Knights forward Max Pacioretty did not accompany his teammates to the “bubble city” of Edmonton, where his team will make the National League playoffs.
“Max suffered a minor injury in training camp, and I told you about it,” head coach Peter DeBoer said Monday at his press conference. I expected him to be back before the end of camp, but he wasn’t. He is not with us, and he will arrive as soon as he is healthy and fit to play. ”
The former captain of the Montreal Canadiens missed the last four practices of the Golden Knights before they traveled to Alberta.
Pacioretty was the top scorer in his roster during the regular season this year. He hit the target 32 times in 71 games. The American also provided 34 assists for 66 points.
In his absence, Nick Cousins took his place on the trio completed by William Karlsson and Mark Stone.
The Golden Knights will play in the Western Conference mini-tournament, during the playoff qualifying round, as they placed in the top 4 in the standings.
This situation could allow Pacioretty to take his time before returning to the game.
“I guess that’s a blessing to have finished so high in the standings in the regular season, to have some time in the round robin,” said DeBoer. On the other hand, we consider these round robin games to be very important games. You want to have the easiest route possible. We are fortunate to take the top spot in the West, which would be fantastic. ”
The Knights play a pre-season game against the Arizona Coyotes on Thursday. They will then begin their mini-tournament against the Dallas Stars next Monday.
–
