Pacioretty played 9:58 in Columbus before leaving the game with the injury after the second period.
Max Pacioretty is back with the Toronto Maple Leafs after missing Thursday's game against the St. Louis Blues.
The forward picked up the lower-body ailment and didn't come out for the third period in Toronto's 6-2 loss to the Columbus Blue Jackets on Tuesday night. He was listed as day-to-day on Thursday, per head coach Craig Berube.
Pacioretty took part in Maple Leafs practice on Friday but was on the outside looking in when it came to line rushes. He was also on the second power play unit during the skate, which was interesting given he was an extra during line rushes.
"We will see how he is after today's practice," Berube said on Friday afternoon, "and make a decision on [if he plays on Saturday]."
The 35-year-old forward joined Toronto on a professional tryout in training camp before signing a one-year deal worth $873,770 and $626,230 in potential performance bonuses.
Pacioretty has two goals through five games while playing in the Maple Leafs' bottom six. He's averaged 11:15 of ice time across those five games, mainly playing alongside John Tavares.
The forward has admitted that his play hasn't been up to his standard a couple of games into the regular season. He was a healthy scratch last week in Toronto's 4-1 loss to the New York Rangers.
"I'm dealing with it the best I can. Just work. I mean, I'm at this stage of my career for a reason. So would I rather be playing? Of course, anyone would rather be playing," Pacioretty said.
"But at the same time, I know I can help the team even when I'm not playing. And I had a good workout out there and just keep working on my game."
Pacioretty played back-to-back games — against the Tampa Bay Lightning and one night later in Columbus where he picked up the lower-body injury — and had one goal through that span.
The forward missed the better part of the last two seasons due to back-to-back Achilles injuries. He's played 907 NHL games, split between the Montreal Canadiens, Vegas Golden Knights, Carolina Hurricanes, Washington Capitals, and Maple Leafs, scoring 332 goals and 338 assists for 670 points.