Pacioretty has missed four games with an upper-body injury sustained Oct. 26 against the Tampa Bay Lightning. He was able to practice with full contact for the first time Monday. Coach Gerard Gallant said he is waiting for Pacioretty to receive clearance from the medical team to return to game action.
The Golden Knights have three games on their Eastern Canadian road swing this week: in Toronto against the Maple Leafs on Tuesday (7 p.m. ET: TSN4, ATTSN-RM, NHL.TV); in Ottawa against the Senators on Thursday; and Montreal.
Pacioretty said the biggest difference is between hockey life in Vegas versus Montreal is the coverage.
"The media is much different there [in Montreal]," Pacioretty said. "Expectations are in every organization to win, but in a Canadian market, everybody knows you have to answer the questions about those expectations every day. That's the biggest difference I've seen, and it leads to a lot of positivity.
"It's a bit more realistic [in Vegas]. You don't sit up front every day and answer questions about how bad you are. It's completely different in that sense, but, at the same time, expectations on any team is Stanley Cup or bust.
"Any market, when things are going well, it's easy to say the atmosphere is great. In tough times, that's when you really get a good test of what the atmosphere will be like, what type of people you have in the organization."
Selected by Montreal with the No. 22 pick in the 2007 NHL Draft, Pacioretty has 448 points (226 goals, 222 assists) in 626 regular-season games and 19 points (10 goals, nine assists) in 38 Stanley Cup Playoff games. He has scored at least 30 goals in a season five times, including four consecutive seasons from 2013-17.
Pacioretty has not been closely following the success his former team is enjoying but said he is not shocked. The Canadiens are 8-4-2.
"I don't think it's surprising," he said. "A lot of guys have really stepped up and bounced back really well. That seems to be the case often times in big markets, and then also when there's less pressure, less expectation. You saw with Vegas last year, with the expectations and how they did. It's easier to skate down the ice when you don't have that on your shoulders."
Pacioretty has two points (two goals) in 10 games with the Golden Knights.
"My last two games I was really starting to feel my game," he said. "I think that's the best I played for a long time and to get hurt the next game, that's frustrating."
