Conflicting Reports Emerge Regarding Injury to Maple Leafs Winger Max Pacioretty

In the first period of Saturday's meeting between the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Montreal Canadiens, veteran winger Max Pacioretty suffered a freak injury following a bit of a cross-check he received while attempting to position himself in front of the Canadiens' net.

Upon hitting the ice, Pacioretty began clutching at the back of his leg and waiving to the Leafs' bench to signify that something was wrong. While he did make it to the bench under his own power, he could not do the same to get to the dressing room, requiring the help of two teammates to get off the ice and two trainers to get down the tunnel and into the medical room.

injury to Pacioretty comes at the worst time, as he had recently been promoted and was playing in the top-6, next to John Tavares and William Nylander.

Late Sunday evening, a report from Leafs Morning Take host Nick Alberga suggested that Pacioretty's injury was not as serious as it initially seemed, which have Leafs Nation some hope that he wouldn't miss much time.

However, a follow-up report on TSN 1050's "Fiest Up" on Monday morning is telling a very different story. TSN's Darren Dreger had the following to say on the subject:

Devastating news for Pacioretty, who was looking to put his injury woes behind him and make the most of his opportunity with the Maple Leafs in his 36-year-old season.

The Leafs still still have not released an official report on Pacioretty's injury, so the severity and timeline are currently unconfirmed. If serious, you have to feel for Pacioretty here, as he had been playing some good hockey for the Leafs leading up to his injury.