Some of that is due to is his character, work ethic and hockey sense, and some of it is due to the chemistry he has developed with linemates Roope Hintz and Jason Robertson.
Hintz, 26, has 70 points (35 goals, 35 assists) in 70 games this season. Robertson, 23, leads the Stars and is tied for seventh in the NHL with 103 points (45 goals, 58 assists) in 79 games.
"He's never relied on his speed to produce, so the fact that he's a little bit slower doesn't change the things that he relies on to have success," said Stars coach Peter DeBoer, who also coached Pavelski in San Jose from 2015-20. "That's his brain, his anticipation, his competitiveness and all those other skills.
"And there's no doubt that [it's been a case of] right place, right time too. He came to the right place, got in with the right two guys. They have an unbelievable chemistry. I'm not sure I've had a line like that that I've coached. But he deserves it. He just keeps going. He just keeps producing."
Robertson said he has admired Pavelski's consistency and adaptability.
"It's not like he's stayed in the 2000s or the early 2010s," Robertson said. "It's a little faster now, so he's adapted his game, thinking quicker, moving things quicker, doing everything quicker, which is a credit to him. If you want to stay around in the League, you've got to adapt, and that's what he's been doing. He's still kicking around with me and Roope."
The Stars (55-21-14) are second in the Central Division, two points behind the Colorado Avalanche and two ahead of the Minnesota Wild with three games to go for each team.
"We've worked all year to kind of be in this spot, and now we don't want to take our foot off the gas pedal at all," Pavelski said. "We want to be rolling in the playoffs. We want to give ourselves the best chance."
