The Maple Leafs and Ottawa Senators skated at Canadian Tire Centre on Thursday.

Max Pacioretty will draw back into the lineup on Thursday as the Leafs look to take a commanding 3-0 lead in their first-round series against the Ottawa Senators.

"I'm just really excited," the 36-year-old winger said. "I waited a little bit here for this, and I've put in a lot of work and had a lot of great people in my corner help me out."

Pacioretty slotted in on a line with Max Domi and Bobby McMann at the team's morning skate. He also took reps as the net-front presence on the second power-play unit.

Nick Robertson, who took a costly penalty in Game 2, will be a healthy scratch.

It's been a long and frustrating road back for Pacioretty, who sustained an undisclosed injury while working on the ice before a practice on Feb. 19. He last suited up in a game on Feb. 8.

Pacioretty has been practising with the team since April 1, but the Leafs didn't have enough cap space to activate him off long term injured reserve before the end of the regular season.

How did he manage his emotions while awaiting his next chance to play?

"I'd rather not talk about that," Pacioretty said after a pause.

"He's handled it fairly well," Leafs coach Craig Berube said. "Things happen. You know, you can't control a lot of things that happen. He wanted to be in there and playing, but he's got the opportunity now. He's worked hard, kept a good attitude for the most part. It's not easy, especially for a guy, you know, he's been around a long time, veteran guy. It's always harder for those guys."

Pacioretty is still chasing his first Stanley Cup and signed with the Leafs, after attending training camp on a professional tryout, in part because he believed it gave him a good chance to contribute to championship run.

"This is why I'm here," he said. "Now I gotta pitch in and help the team win."

Pacioretty has 25 goals and 25 assists in 78 previous playoff games with the Montreal Canadiens, Vegas Golden Knights and Washington Capitals. That experience should help, but it won't be easy jumping back into game action at the most intense time........

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