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Pacioretty demoted to USA's 4th line |
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There was a sense of excitement after Team USA’s first practice earlier in the week when it was revealed that Montreal Canadiens captain Max Pacioretty would be on the team’s first line playing alongside Joe Pavelski and Patrick Kane. A sign of respect for the consistent 30+ goal scorer. However, the honeymoon was short lived as Pacioretty was demoted to Team USA’s 4th line for their second preliminary game against Canada Saturday night.
In Team USA’s 4-2 win over Canada on Friday night, Pacioretty was a +1 in 14:51 of ice time with no shots, a hit, a blocked shot and a takeaway. He also played 44 seconds on USA’s powerplay. Did he stand out? No but he also did not hurt his team. Perhaps, Pacioretty’s intensity was not at the level demanded by USA’s head coach John Tortorella. The World Cup of Hockey is a short tournament and coaches cannot necessarily afford the luxury of letting chemistry build over time. However, it was still a mild surprise that Tortorella demoted Pacioretty for the second game of the back to back matches with Canada, especially after USA’s win.
On Saturday night, Pacioretty was the second least utilized player on USA with just 10:05 minutes of ice time, only 3 seconds more than linemate Kyle Palmieri. He was also a -2 on the night and failed to register a shot on net for the second consecutive game. Canada beat Team USA 5-2 in the rematch. After the game, Tortorella was asked specifically about Pacioretty’s level of play and the demotion. His response:
Tortorella is not wrong in his assessment of Pacioretty. He is a shooter and needs to get pucks on net. He can’t defer to his linemates. Pacioretty must take control of his own game. The past two games have been physical affairs and there cannot be any passengers on the bus. He has to raise his level, the way that he and Canadiens fans know that he can. Get a few hits, get involved in the game. Pacioretty usually has the ability to bounce back after weak games and I would expect him to be in fine form once the tournament starts. The question is if he can afford the luxury of slowly getting his feet wet. In these short tournaments players have to be ready for the get go. This is a phenomenal learning experience for Pacioretty and he will be a better Montreal Canadiens for it.
Cheers & follow along,
Montreal Canadiens Blogger • 
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