After notching five goals and an assist in his last three games, Sharks captain Joe Pavelski was named the NHL’s third star of the week of November 12-19. Pavelski, tied for fourth in the NHL in goals, has been leading the Sharks’ offensive explosion from the forefront, with 6 of his 13 goals and 9 of his 16 points coming in his last 4 games. With a 5-on-5 adjusted Corsi for of 58.5 percent and 15 primary points, Pavelski has been having an incredible bounce-back goalscoring season after struggling with a wrist injury for half of the 2017-18 season.
A seventh-round draft pick, Pavelski has never been the swiftest skater or the most magical shot, but he does have an uncanny knack for the net and an incredibly high hockey IQ that he leverages into buckets of goals. With 330 to his name, Pavelski ranks 13th in the NHL in goalscoring among active players (stats courtesy Quant Hockey). Perhaps more incredibly, he ranks fourth among all active players since the 2010-11 season with 227 goals, beaten only by Alex Ovechkin, Steven Stamkos and John Tavares.
Pavelski is currently an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season, and his recent play has certainly given General Manager Doug Wilson an interesting dilemma to ponder. While many initially believed that this would have been his last season in teal after having seen his points decline for the second consecutive year, the 34-year-old has proven just about every doubter wrong. While Wilson has yet to reciprocate Pavelski’s interest in beginning extension talks, the GM may soon have little choice if the captain continues his scorching level of play.
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