Why is Joe Pavelski So Darn Good?

It’s becoming so expected that maybe we should stop unexpecting it.

That the Sharks erased a 3-2 deficit late in the second period of Game 5 of in St. Louis and won 6-3? With this Sharks team, not ‘that’ surprising.

That Joe Pavelski added another two goals in San Jose’s victory, and now leads all playoff scorers in both goals (12) and points (21) and set a new franchise record for goals in one playoff year? Once again, maybe not something you would’ve bet on, but not something too stunning given the level Pavelski’s played at all season.

Perhaps more surprising is not that Pavelski scored another two goals – the game-tying and game-winning goals – to win another game for the Sharks, but that it seems to be the same player striking the decisive blow in almost every game San Jose wins.

Like, does this guy’s luck ever run out? Pavelski AGAIN?

How does a player who rarely receives true superstar acknowledgement around the league, who’s not very big, not very strong and not very fast (or so some say), dominating these games seemingly every night, while his supposedly more talented adversaries remain inconsequential?

Pavelski Head-To-Head With Opposing Superstars, 2016 Playoffs

Earlier in the playoffs, we investigated how Joel Ward became so darn clutch and found out that it originated in his early years as a roller hockey ringer-for-hire.

Trying to find a similar explanation for how Joe Pavelski, a seemingly ordinary player who delivers …

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