DeBoer praises 'ageless' Pavelski as he becomes active playoff goals leader
Joe Pavelski once again proved himself to be timeless Thursday.
The 38-year-old Dallas Stars stalwart overtook the illustrious Alex Ovechkin as the league's active leader in playoff goals Thursday with his overtime marker in Game 4 against the Vegas Golden Knights.
| Rank | Player | GP | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Joe Pavelski | 180 | 73 |
| 2 | Alex Ovechkin | 147 | 72 |
| 3 | Sidney Crosby | 180 | 71 |
| 4 | Evgeni Malkin | 177 | 67 |
| T-5 | Nikita Kucherov | 142 | 53 |
| T-5 | Patrick Kane | 143 | 53 |
| T-5 | Brad Marchand | 146 | 53 |
| T-5 | Corey Perry | 196 | 53 |
"He's ageless, you know? What do you say about him?" Stars head coach Peter DeBoer said postgame. "I've seen that movie over and over again - it never gets old.
"He lives for those moments. He wants to be in those situations ... and delivers almost every time."
Additionally, Pavelski has 18 career playoff game-winners, including four this postseason, tying him for fifth all time.
| Rank | Player | GP | Game-winning goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| T-1 | Brett Hull | 202 | 24 |
| T-1 | Wayne Gretzky | 208 | 24 |
| T-3 | Joe Sakic | 172 | 19 |
| T-3 | Claude Lemieux | 234 | 19 |
| T-5 | Joe Pavelski | 180 | 18 |
| T-5 | Maurice Richard | 132 | 18 |
Pavelski also became the oldest player to have a four-goal game earlier this postseason. He's recorded nine tallies and 13 points across 12 playoff games this year.
The Stars are hoping to become the fifth team to erase a 3-0 deficit after their Game 4 victory. Pavelski has experience being on the other side of one of those historic comebacks, falling to the Los Angeles Kings while with the San Jose Sharks in 2014.
"You never think it can happen. ... You don't want to be in those situations, but when you're on the other side, you understand it can happen," he said.
Pavelski added: "You just have to keep putting your game out there and having the belief that you can buy more time and earn more time. ... Keep trying to put a little doubt in their minds."
Puck drops on Game 5 in Vegas on Saturday at 8 p.m. ET.
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