Breaking now: Maple Leafs veteran Max Pacioretty has become a hit with his new club

Even at the relatively advanced age of 35 for a professional hockey player, Max Pacioretty believes he still manages to surprise his opponents from time to time.

“Maybe when I’m up against some top-six players, they don’t expect those in that group to be as physical,” Pacioretty said. “I don’t mean to sound arrogant, but I’ve been skilled at that; however, it’s challenging. It’s really tough to play that way while also contributing offensively and making plays. “I’m working on finding a balance. I don’t want to be less physical, but I need to look for ways to keep plays alive because of it.” Since joining the Maple Leafs on a one-year contract after the pre-season, Pacioretty has recorded two goals and four assists in his first 11 games.

Additionally, he ranks second on the team for hits with 33, just one behind Matthew Knies and Steven Lorentz, both of whom have played in all 14 games. In essence, Pacioretty is aligning with Craig Berube’s vision as the coach seeks to shift the Leafs’ approach. “I think it has a positive effect on the entire team,” Berube stated. “Being physical is a crucial part of our game, and he’s doing an excellent job at it.” Playing alongside John Tavares and William Nylander, Pacioretty has managed to balance his physical play to the extent that what initially seemed like a penalty was not. This refers to the major penalty he received against the Boston Bruins on Tuesday for hitting defenseman Andrew Peeke. After review by referees Pierre Lambert and Brian Pochmara, the penalty was overturned.

“I was confident it was a clean play,” Pacioretty remarked. “I was vocal about it. If I seemed frustrated, it was because I didn’t realize they could overturn the call. “I believed the rule allowed them to downgrade a five-minute penalty to a two, but they made the right decision. It’s unfortunate when a player gets hurt; that was never my intention.” Peeke left the game due to an upper-body injury. Bruins coach Jim Montgomery informed the media in Boston on Thursday that Peeke will be out of the lineup for a week-to-week period.