Pacioretty could make Hurricanes debut against Predators
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Max Pacioretty could make his season debut when the Carolina Hurricanes host the Nashville Predators at PNC Arena on Thursday (7 p.m. ET; BSSO, BSSO, ESPN+, SN NOW).
The forward was activated from the injured nonroster list Wednesday.
Pacioretty was acquired by the Hurricanes with defenseman Dylan Coghlan in a trade with the Vegas Golden Knights for future considerations July 13 but had surgery to repair a torn Achilles tendon Aug. 10. Original projections had him out for six months, meaning his return is at least a month ahead of schedule.
Pacioretty’s addition provides another offensive weapon for the Hurricanes, who had won a franchise-record 11 consecutive games before a 5-3 loss at the New York Rangers on Tuesday.
The return of Pacioretty, at 5-on-5 and on the power play, should help Carolina (25-7-6), which entered Wednesday averaging 3.11 goals per game, tied with the Detroit Red Wings for 19th in the NHL.
Pacioretty is a six-time 30-goal scorer who has 642 points (323 goals, 319 assists) in 850 NHL games with the Golden Knights and Montreal Canadiens.
The Hurricanes also announced that forward Ondrej Kase (concussion) has been placed on long-term injured reserve. He’s been sidelined since playing in the season opener Oct. 12.