Pete DeBoer wishes his Dallas Stars hadn't squandered Joe Pavelski's big night Tuesday with an overtime loss to the Seattle Kraken.
Pavelski provided all of the Stars' offense in Game 1 of their second-round playoff series. He became the oldest player in NHL history to score four goals in a game - in the playoffs or the regular season. However, Yanni Gourde netted the winner in the extra frame to give the Kraken the victory.
"(It was) epic, shame we wasted it and didn't win," the Stars head coach said postgame. "That's on our group because he more than did his part. He tried to drag us to a win (Tuesday night)."
Pavelski had a remarkable game despite having been out of the lineup since Dallas' first-round series opener against the Minnesota Wild on April 17.
The 38-year-old forward, who'll turn 39 on July 11, led all skaters from both clubs with six shots Tuesday night. He also blocked three shots and won all nine of his faceoffs.
"I'm not surprised," DeBoer said. "I should be. Everybody should be. He's the oldest guy on the sheet of ice (Tuesday night) and he was by far the best player on either team. But that's just Joe."
Pavelski showed no signs of slowing down during the regular season, collecting 28 goals and 49 assists while playing all 82 contests. The American notched his 1,000th career point in a win over the Detroit Red Wings on April 10.
Game 2 of the Stars-Kraken series is scheduled for Thursday night in Dallas.
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