Craig Berube benches respected veteran Max Pacioretty against the Penguins

Last night during the Toronto Maple Leafs contest against the Pittsburgh Penguins head coach Craig Berube made a risky decision and benched veteran Max Pacioretty.

The Toronto Maple Leafs have struggled to find consistency early in the NHL season through their first few games. The Maple Leafs were shut out despite playing well against the Montreal Canadiens. Then bounced back in game 2 against Sheldon Keefe and the New Jersey Devils.

Last night it seemed like the Maple Leafs could be taking another step back against the Pittsburgh Penguins. In the first period, the Maple Leafs went down 1-0 to the Penguins. They had a good second period and stormed out to a 2-1 lead with goals from William Nylander and Matthew Knies.

In the third period, the Toronto Maple Leafs decided to shorten the bench. One of the biggest surprises when the Maple Leafs did this was the benching of Max Pacioretty. He played only 3 shifts in the third period and was taken off of special teams. When Pacioretty was signed by the Maple Leafs having him benched in the third game of the season was not what fans had envisioned.

After the game, Maple Leafs head coach Craig Berube was asked about the move to bench Max Pacioretty.

Craig Berube opens up on why he decided to bench Max Pacioretty

During his post-game press conference, Craig Berube was asked about Max Pacioretty's lack of ice time. Craig Berube first confirmed that there was not an injury at play. Then he revealed that he felt the team had been stagnant, particularly on the powerplay so he was trying to find a spark.

The change ended up paying off as the Toronto Maple Leafs controlled much of the third period and took home the victory 4-2 over the Pittsburgh Penguins. The Maple Leafs are now 2-1 on the season and in a good spot going forward with back-to-back wins.

Max Pacioretty has had an up-and-down start to his Maple Leafs career. Against the New Jersey Devils, Pacioretty got on the stat sheet scoring his first in a Mapel Leaf uniform. Then just one game later Max Pacioretty ends up on the bench during the most crucial moments.

The Toronto Maple Leafs are off until Wednesday when they play the Los Angeles Kings it will be interesting to see if Max Pacioretty ends up in the lineup or in the press box.

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