A closer look at the ‘magic’ of Max Pacioretty’s shot

The play is still burned in Marc-Andre Fleury’s brain more than seven years later.

The then-Pittsburgh Penguins goaltender was playing in Montreal when a Canadiens forward picked off a pass in the neutral zone. No problem. The Penguins had two skaters back in case the attacker tried to get to the net.

Except he didn’t. He took two strides in the offensive zone, lined up a shot and fired a wrister from above the top of the circles. Fleury was flummoxed. This guy not only had the guts to shoot from that far away but also was talented enough that it worked.

Fleury could only stare at the ceiling in disbelief. Meanwhile, his future Golden Knights teammate Max Pacioretty was celebrating one of the many spectacular goals in his prolific career.

“Nobody shoots from there,” Fleury said. “But he did.”

Luckily for Fleury, he doesn’t have to worry about getting beat by that shot anymore. Other goaltenders aren’t as fortunate.

Pacioretty has remained one of the NHL’s premier goal scorers in his third season with the Knights. The left wing is tied for the fifth-most goals in the league with 18, and he’s two from becoming the 209th player to reach 300 for his career.

He also would be the 23rd American skater to do it and the 20th active player. Here’s how he got within range, according to those who have played with and coached him:

The shot

Michigan coach Mel Pearson has a simple way to describe the release on Pacioretty’s shot: “Magic.”

Almost everyone who has come into contact with the 32-year-old throughout his NHL career marvels at the way the puck comes off his stick. It’s something he developed at an early age.

Pearson, a Wolverines assistant in Pacioretty’s one season on the team, said it was there long before Pacioretty came to Michigan. College teammate Kevin Porter laughed when remembering seeing it for the first time.

“There’s not many guys that I’ve played with to this day that have a shot like he does,” said Porter, who played 777 games between the NHL and American Hockey League. “There’s probably a handful of guys that I would put in a category with him and their shot and release.”

Fleury said what makes Pacioretty’s shot so hard to defend is that it’s heavy and fast. It can get through holes that others can’t. Pacioretty is also an excellent shooter on the move, something goaltenders have to account for whenever he has the puck on his stick.

Fleury learned that the hard way that night in Montreal.

“He shoots really hard,” Fleury said. “It goes through your arm or somewhere, but it finds itself in.”

The sense

Pacioretty’s shot gives him a natural advantage as a goal scorer.

But a powerful weapon like that isn’t any good if it’s rarely used. Part of what makes Pacioretty special is his ability to put himself in positions to score.

Jacques Martin, Pacioretty’s first NHL coach in Montreal, said he excels at finding the “quiet areas” in the offensive zone. When he doesn’t have the puck, he finds open ice and prepares himself for a pass.

“Goal scorers have that innate ability to find holes and ramp things up at the right time,” Knights coach Pete DeBoer said. “Max is a goal scorer.”

Pacioretty’s hockey IQ is one of the things that makes his partnership with right wing Mark Stone special. Stone can hang onto pucks in the offensive zone, buy time and pass as well as anyone else in the NHL. Pacioretty uses that time to find openings, and he only needs a sliver of space to get his shot off.

Since the two joined forces on the Knights in 2019, the team has outscored opponents 80-47 with them on the ice at five-on-five.

“The good news is that when we leave a game, we can kind of think about the plays we didn’t connect on, and that’s just a sign of guys who are always hungry for more,” Pacioretty said of his line with Stone and center Chandler Stephenson. “I think we put a lot of, not bad pressure on ourselves, but we feel that we can change games and expect ourselves to do so on a nightly basis.”

The full package

A good shot and awareness isn’t all Pacioretty brings to the ice.

His speed is another factor that makes him difficult to defend. He also will hit, block shots or whatever else is needed. He’s not a penalty killer, but he’s hardly a defensive liability.

“Sometimes scorers, you just think they’re one dimensional,” Pearson said. “But he wasn’t. That’s what made him so special.”

Pacioretty’s work ethic sets him apart, too. It’s not an uncommon sight to see the former Canadiens captain and Knights director of hockey operations Misha Donskov on the ice before practice to get extra shots.

That commitment is one reason Pacioretty has the sixth-most goals among active American players, behind Patrick Kane, Zach Parise, Joe Pavelski, Phil Kessel and Dustin Brown. He has a lot of items in his toolbox, and he keeps them sharp.

DeBoer said Pacioretty, 13 seasons into his NHL career, still keeps adding layers to his game. It’s an ability Martin saw early on.

“(He) understands that you need to keep working at your game, keep improving in order to stay the player that you are,” Martin said. “To be a dominant player, you have to keep working at it.”

Contact Ben Gotz at bgotz@reviewjournal.com. Follow @BenSGotz on Twitter.