Joe Pavelski is the best goal scorer you probably aren't watching
If you had to take a guess as to who in the NHL has the second-most goals in the last four seasons, would you guess it was Joe Pavelski?
If you live east of the Mississippi, you probably wouldn't. You probably would have guessed Steven Stamkos, Max Pacioretty, maybe even Phil Kessel (none of which would have been bad guesses). But more than likely, Pavelski would never cross your mind.
Top Goal Scorers of the Last Four Seasons
| Player | Goals Scored |
| Alex Ovechkin | 153 |
| Joe Pavelski | 112 |
| Steven Stamkos | 111 |
| Tyler Seguin | 109 |
| Max Pacioretty | 105 |
Pavelski works his craft all the way out in San Jose, California, a full three hours behind the Eastern Time Zone, for the San Jose Sharks. When Pavelski takes the ice, it's generally 10:00 p.m. or 9:00 p.m. to the majority of the NHL world.
But each time you choose to not tune into a San Jose Sharks game, you are missing an opportunity to see one of the best, and possibly most unsung, players in the entire NHL.
In his most recent outing, against the divisional rival Los Angeles Kings on Tuesday night, Pavelski and his Sharks found themselves down a goal with just under 13 minutes to play in the third period. On a power play opportunity, Brent Burns gathered the puck and flicked it from the blue line. Waiting in front of Kings' goaltender Jonathan Quick was Pavelski, who tipped the puck right past him for the game-tying goal.
Just over a minute later, the Sharks found themselves on another power play. Joe Thornton gathered the puck behind the net, and instantly fed it to the waiting Joe Pavelski directly in front of the crease. Pavelski instinctively flicked his wrist, roofing the puck past Quick for the eventual game-winning goal. It was his sixth game-clinching goal of the season.
This is prototypical Joe Pavelski. Each of his goals all seem to share a similar quality. Pavelski isn't flashy with the puck. He will rarely have the highlight-reel goal that will generate thousands of YouTube views. At just 5-foot-11 and 190 pounds, he will rarely power his way to the net. Most of the time, it doesn't look like Pavelski does much work at all. Most of his goals deflect off of his stick, his skate, his shin, his chest, even occasionally his derriere. But each goal is generally done in some clutch fashion. And each goal requires an impeccable amount of precision, an immaculate amount of poise and an excruciating amount of patience.
"He's a finisher," Thornton said following the win over the Kings. "Probably within that 10 to 15 foot range he's just knows what to do with the puck. You saw it (last night) with the two goals, he knew what to do with it."
He always seems to know exactly what to do with it. Pavelski has tallied 246 goals since he came into the league with San Jose in the 2006-07 season. His rookie year, he netted 14 goals in 46 games, his lowest single-season total of his career. Pavelski has been a model of consistency. Actually, scratch that. The 31-year-old has actually gotten better with age. Pavelski was a consistent 20 to 25-goal scorer early on in his career. Then, in the 2011-12 season, Pavelski broke the 30-goal plateau. Two seasons later, he reached 40 goals in a single season. Last year, he scored 37. This year, with 18 goals in his first 34 games, Pavelski is on pace for 43 goals, which would be his highest single-season total yet.
It would be fitting for Pavelski to have his career year in his first year as the San Jose Sharks' captain. In recent years, San Jose management has stripped both Patrick Marleau and Joe Thornton of their captaincy. Both players remain on the team. And instead of any seemingly obvious awkwardness, there doesn't seem to be any whatsoever. Pavelski is the epitome of a captain both on and off the ice. When he's playing, he approaches the game with a workman-like attitude, not afraid to battle in the corners, and not afraid to place the heels of his skates right on the edge of his opponent's crease. Off the ice with reporters, Pavelski is charismatic, personable and friendly. If he's asked a question about his personal performance, as he frequently was following his last game, he talks about his line mates. If he's asked the question again, he talks about the team as a whole. That humble nature has followed Pavelski all throughout his career; from the time he was drafted 205th overall in the 2003 NHL draft to today, Pavelski carries the presence of your ideal role model.
"The work he puts in, some (of his skill is) natural, but even beyond that â between the Chicago game and (last night) â there's a reason he's the captain," Sharks head coach Pete DeBoer said following the Sharks win. "He was just willing us to win. He was taking on guys physically much bigger than him, going to the dirty areas of the ice. You know, when your best player is that honest and working that hard and cares that much, everyone else tends to follow."
That leadership will be much needed for the Sharks this season. San Jose currently finds themselves in second-place in the Pacific Division. They are six points behind the Kings for first place in the division, but they are also just seven points away from the lowest total in the NHL. With a 17-15-2 record, there is much room for improvement. One thing Pavelski and his teammates have to figure out? Their poor efforts at home. The Sharks have only won four games at the SAP Center this season, the lowest home win total in the NHL.
But if the Sharks do figure out how to turn that around, it will likely center around Pavelski's overall performances each and every game.
That 2003 draft Pavelski was selected in featured several key NHL players chosen within the first two rounds that still play huge roles in the NHL to this day. Corey Perry and Ryan Getzlaf were selected by the Anaheim Ducks. Eric Staal went to the Carolina Hurricanes. Zach Parise to the New Jersey Devils. Players like Patrice Bergeron and Shea Weber fell to the second round. But no one, except for the Sharks, had Pavelski on their radar. But despite several notable players selected well before him, Pavelski still finds himself well ahead of several players in production. Pavelski has the sixth-most goals in that draft class. He has the eight-most points. And he has the 20th-most games played.
Pavelski is the very definition of an underdog hitting it big. He has taken command of a well-respected team and seemingly produces each and every time he takes the ice.
So the next time you are struggling to get to sleep late at night, check to see if the San Jose Sharks are playing. You might just see one of the most productive scorers in the modern day NHL.
And if you are already on the West Coast, continue enjoying your not so flashy, but ultra prolific, goal scorer.
