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ANAHEIM — Anybody who thinks Max Pacioretty doesn’t care deeply about his role as captain of the Canadiens has never watched him wear his heart on his sleeve during an interview.

They also didn’t see him in the locker room in Madison Square Garden last spring after the Canadiens had been eliminated by the New York Rangers in the first round of the playoffs and the captain failed to score a single goal in the six-game series. Pacioretty was on the verge of tears that night.

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Pacioretty will often speak in clichés when things are going good for him and the team — deflecting praise to his linemates or coaches. But when things go bad his emotions come through.

Things are going bad right now for Pacioretty and the Canadiens. The team is off to a 1-5-1 start to the season and the captain has gone six games without a goal after scoring once in the season-opening 3-2 shootout win in Buffalo. When Pacioretty doesn’t score, the Canadiens’ chances of winning diminish.

A lot.

Pacioretty wasn’t on the verge of tears Thursday when he spoke with the media for about 20 minutes at the Honda Center before being one of eight players to take part in an optional practice ahead of Friday’s game against the Ducks (10 p.m., TSN2, RDS, TSN Radio 690). But the captain was very open and honest.

His heart was on his sleeve again.

Pacioretty talked about what a tough challenge it was to be the leader and captain of a team when you’re playing poorly yourself.

“That is the challenge … how am I going to go tell my teammates that we got to be better when I’m the worst one on the ice,” said Pacioretty, who has one goal and no assists in seven games to go along with a minus-3. “That’s what keeps you up at night … that’s what keeps me up at night. Trust me, if you guys think I don’t care you got it all wrong. If anything, I think too much and I care too much.