Elite company: Joe Pavelski finds himself among league's all-time greats

DENVER -- What does Joe Pavelski do to get himself out of a season-long six-game point drought? Reel off two goals and four points in an enormous 4-1 victory over the Colorado Avalanche on Tuesday night at Ball Arena.
And what kind of season is Pavelski having with the Stars? A career-setting one.

His two-goal, two-assist night was his fourth game with 4+ points this season - his most in a single campaign - and matched only by Edmonton's Leon Draisaitl for the most such performances by any player this season, with Draisaitl 11 years younger.
Pavelski has 52 points (21 goals, 31 assists) in 47 games and is on pace for the most productive season of his 16-year NHL career.
The thing is, even when he was mired in his slump, it didn't feel like he was pressing. Because while that kind of drought might force some players to alter their game or overthink things, the wily veteran stuck to the plan.
His age can be brought up until we're all blue in the face, but the truth is what he's doing at 37 is remarkable.
Per NHL Stats, at 37 years, 219 days, Pavelski became the third Stars/North Stars player to record a 20-goal season at age 37 or older (age at time of his 20th goal), joining Minnesota's Dean Prentice (39 years, 166 days in 1971-72 & 40 years, 125 days in 1972-73) and Mike Modano (37 years, 297 days in 2007-08).
Among players to begin a season at age 37 or older, Pavelski became the fifth in the past 40 years to require 47 or fewer games to reach the 50-point mark. The others are Mario Lemieux (26 GP in 2002-03), Martin St. Louis (40 GP in 2012-13), Joe Sakic (46 GP in 2006-07) and Teemu Selanne (47 GP in 2010-11). That's Hall-of-Fame company.

One thing to note about Pavelski is his work ethic. He's the first guy on the ice for practices and morning skates and he works tirelessly on his craft. He's a leader on and off the ice, and a big role model for the younger players on the Stars' roster.
"Having a guy of such caliber and experience, for a guy like me to look up and see him at 37 years old as the first guy on the ice at practice doing all the little things and working on his craft, it's definitely inspiring," said linemate Jason Robertson. "Even just talking to him throughout the game, listening to what he says and learning what he's been doing, it's nice to see he's still doing all the little things at his age."
His first goal on Tuesday was a beautiful sequence on the power play, but his second goal was textbook Pavelski.
Parked right in front of the goal, Pavelski redirected a pass from Tyler Seguin, followed up his rebound and jammed the puck across the stripe. Not a lot of flash, but a whole lot of grease. Pavelski is one of the best players in the league when it comes to scoring goals in the hard areas - deflecting pucks, rebounds, that sort of thing.

"He's always out there always practicing those things," Bowness said. "All those goals he gets around the net, they're not flukes. They're from years and years, and hours and hours of practice. His confidence with the puck and his ability to get free around the net.
"He's not the biggest guy, but he knows how to angle himself. It's one thing to get there, but it's the timing involved. That's hockey sense. You really can't teach that. He's got an innate ability to do that. That keeps him very relevant."
They say age is nothing but a number, and it couldn't be truer for Pavelski.
This story was not subject to the approval of the National Hockey League or Dallas Stars Hockey Club.
Kyle Shohara is the Digital Manager for DallasStars.com and writes about the Stars/NHL. Follow him on Twitter @kyleshohara.