The San Jose Sharks took back the series lead with a dominating 5-1 thrashing of the Nashville Predators on Saturday.
Captain Joe Pavelski was once again the star, leading the way with another two-goal outburst.
Related: Watch: Pavelski scores after beautiful, no-look pass from Thornton
The 31-year-old veteran's latest heroics gave him a share of the postseason goal-scoring lead and more importantly, further cemented himself as one of hockey's premier playoff-performers.
Since the 2012-13 season four Chicago Blackhawks have tallied the most points in playoff competition, with Patrick Kane, Jonathan Toews, Marian Hossa, and Duncan Keith topping the list, all four with 70-72 games played each.
However, in that span you will find that of players with at least 10 playoff games under their belt, only Kane ranks among the most in points per game.
| Player | Games | Goals | Points | Points per Game |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jamie Benn | 17 | 9 | 19 | 1.12 |
| Ryan Getzlaf | 42 | 11 | 46 | 1.10 |
| Joe Pavelski | 28 | 14 | 30 | 1.07 |
| Logan Couture | 28 | 11 | 27 | .96 |
| Patrick Kane | 72 | 29 | 69 | .96 |
While he certainly has not seen as much action in the postseason as the Blackhawks core, Pavelski has proven that when he is involved in the playoffs, he is as dominant as anyone.
The first-year captain now has 34 goals and 68 points in 91 career playoff games, but has accumulated nearly half of those points in the last third of his games played.
Pavelski has been victim of a team that has repeatedly performed well in the regular season to only collapse and falter when the games matter most, in the postseason.
This time around feels different for the Sharks. Pavelski has a stronger supporting cast, the team is playing better around him and if he can continue to produce in the clutch, the Sharks can prove to be among the beasts in the West.
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