Pavelski shines in return despite Stars loss in Game 1 of West 2nd Round

DALLAS -- Joe Pavelski sure knows how to make a return.

The Dallas Stars forward, who missed the past two weeks while in concussion protocol, scored four goals for the Dallas Stars in Game 1 of the Western Conference Second Round at American Airlines Center on Tuesday, though the Seattle Kraken came away with a 5-4 overtime win.

"I was excited to be back, that's for sure," Pavelski said.

"First lap in warmups, felt a shot of adrenaline right there. I was excited. Starting the game was just as much fun. Then we battled all night. It was a good game; we were right there. Obviously, a tough loss. You want to get those."

Game 2 of the best-of-7 series will be here Thursday (9:30 p.m. ET; TNT, CBC, SN, TVAS).

RELATED: [Complete Stars vs. Kraken series coverage]

Pavelski hadn't played since April 17 because of a concussion he sustained during the second period of Game 1 of the Western Conference First Round against the Minnesota Wild, when he hit his head on the ice following a hard check by defenseman Matt Dumba. Pavelski needed to be helped off the ice by a trainer and teammate Mason Marchment, and was placed in concussion protocol two days later.

But any thoughts of Pavelski being rusty were erased quickly. He gave the Stars a 1-0 lead just 2:35 into the first period, and his second, a trademark tip-in, made it 2-1 at 12:18.

Pavelski then single-handedly got Dallas back into the game in the third period. He cut it to 4-3 at 9:50 on the rebound of Jamie Benn's shot before tying it 4-4 at 13:23 when he batted in the puck after Jani Hakanpaa's pass deflected off Kraken defenseman Adam Larsson's stick.

Pavelski is the second-oldest player (38 years, 295 days) in NHL history to score a hat trick in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, behind Johnny Bucyk (38 years, 344 days), who did it for the Boston Bruins against the Chicago Black Hawks in Game 2 of the 1974 semifinals. He is also the oldest player to score four goals in a playoff game, surpassing Maurice Richard (35 years, 245 days), who did it for the Montreal Canadiens against the Bruins in Game 1 of the 1957 Stanley Cup Final.

"Epic, epic. Shame we wasted it and didn't win," Stars coach Peter DeBoer said. "That's on our group because he more than did his part. He tried to drag us to a win here tonight.

"Just some uncharacteristic mistakes. Two face-off goals, essentially, off missed assignments. Just didn't play hard enough for long enough with enough detail in our game. I think that's what you get this time of year. It reminds me a little bit of Game 1 against Minnesota (a 3-2 loss in double overtime). We turn it on late, had some chances in overtime, but just need a little bit more for a little bit longer."

Pavelski's performance came with him playing on the second line with Marchment and Max Domi instead of the top line with Jason Robertson and Roope Hintz, where Pavelski has played the past two seasons.

"Obviously, a guy who we've all looked up to at some point in our career for a long time," said Domi, who had the secondary assist on three of Pavelski's goals. "Played against Joe for a long time, and we all know what he brings to the table and how special he is and how important he is to our group."

It was quite the process to return for Pavelski, who began skating on his own while the Stars were in Minnesota for Games 3 and 4 and skated with the team when they returned to Dallas for Game 5. He also accompanied the team to Minnesota for Game 6 and skated the morning of the game but did not play.

"Just rest up early, try to take care of the body the right way, those type of things. Just really trying to get a little better each day," Pavelski said.

"Everyone's asking, 'How's the head?' Every time it was, 'It's getting better, it's getting better.' You're always looking for something, and I think over the last few days there was definitely a sense of clarity that kind of came back."

There was no doubt Pavelski was ready to start this series. But the Stars felt they squandered his performance, and it was certainly a memorable one.

"I mean, that's just Joe," DeBoer said. "I'm not surprised. I should be, everybody should be. He's the oldest guy on the sheet of ice tonight and he's by far the best player on either team. But that's just Joe."