The Dallas Stars are now tied with the Seattle Kraken in their second-round playoff series. They dominated game four to the tune of a 6-3 victory. Lots of players deserve credit for this Dallas victory but Joe Pavelski deserves some extra credit.
In the win, he scored his sixth goal of the playoffs in only five games (he missed most of the first round against the Minnesota Wild because of an injury). He is tied with Roope Hintz for the team lead in half the games played.
It is unclear if the Stars will be able to hang on and beat the Kraken, but you know Joe Pavelski is certainly going to be at his best as they try.
He has quietly been one of the best playoff performers in the history of the NHL. Late in his career here with the Stars, he is making a late push for the Hall of Fame because of his performances in the postseason.
The Dallas Stars have had so much success with Joe Pavelski on their team.
The goal that he scored on Tuesday night was the 70th in his amazing career with the Dallas Stars and San Jose Sharks. Only Alex Ovechkin (72) and Sidney Crosby (71) are active players with more goals than him. Evgeni Malkin is right behind with 68.
None of them is on a team that even qualified for the playoffs this year, so Pavelski can even take the lead before it is all said and done this year.
Crosby, Ovechkin, and Malkin are the three best players of the last 20 years, so seeing Pavelski in that company is incredible. He should be proud.
Pavelski has been a superstar for most of his career. The San Jose Sharks made plenty of deep playoff runs while he was there, and now the Dallas Stars are doing the same. Having a guy like this on your team can really play a big role in your ability to win when it matters most.
Of course, Pavelski’s teams have always come up just short, but they have been in the mix in almost every year of his career. This could be the year that he gets it done. With how many goals he has played in the playoffs, he deserves it.