When the Stars need a difference maker, Joe Pavelski says 'Hello'

Twelve minutes into a must-win game for the Stars Friday night, Joe Pavelski took some friendly fire to his left ear.
Pavelski was getting up from the ice when Miro Heiskanen flipped a shot that hit him in the side of the head and caused a cut on his ear that required a trip to the dressing room and nine stitches.

A few things went through his mind as he walked down the tunnel to the room at such a key point in the season. "It stung," Pavelski said. "It stung for a bit there. You're just obviously aware of everything with the head, make sure you're feeling good. I don't know about emotions. Get it fixed, see where you're at, and hopefully get back."
For Stars head coach Rick Bowness, there was no doubt his veteran forward would be out for long.
"Yes, I expected him to come back," Bowness said. "He's a competitor. A few stitches, as bad as they may sound, a few stitches are not going to keep him out of the game."
Pavelski missed the last eight minutes of the first period and then returned for the second period. He tallied two goals and two assists and finished plus-5 in a 5-2 win over the Tampa Bay Lightning. He helped linemate Roope Hintz to a three-point night and played an integral role in Joel Kiviranta's two-point performance, arguably his best game of the season. It was just another sign of how important the 36-year-old forward has been for the Stars this season.

"Clearly, we needed to win that game," Bowness said. "When you need these games, you need somebody to step up and make a difference. The [Kiviranta-Hintz-Pavelski] line made a big difference."
The trio is joined in determination. Hintz is battling a lower-body injury that will likely require surgery in the offseason, and yet the speedy forward has 43 points (15 goals, 28 assists) in 41 games. Kiviranta has played just 24 games this season because of injuries but earned a promotion to the Hintz line because of his performance level in recent contests. Pavelski is simply leading the team in most categories with 50 points (24 goals, 26 assists) and a plus-24 in 54 games. Of course he was going to come back from the stitches.
Ironically, Pavelski and Hintz have played a big role in Jason Robertson having an outstanding rookie season, but the trio had gone dry during an 0-3-2 slump. Bowness tried to light a spark by putting Kiviranta on that line instead.
"We haven't won for a while, we're not consistent with our offense," Bowness said. "We knew we had to shake it up, simple as that."
It was a great call. Pavelski went to the net on his second goal to get a pass from Hintz and was battling in front of the goalie on Kiviranta's tally. It's a place he's known throughout his 15-year, 1,084-game regular-season career

"He doesn't need lots of chances to score a goal," Hintz said. "He's a great goal scorer and he can find the open ice well. Everybody knows how good he is with the stick, high tips and everything like that. That's the biggest thing. He just knows where to be and when he gets the chance, he'll score."
Stars goalie Anton Khudobin has had to work against Pavelski in practices and games in the past and said there is nobody better in front of the net.
"Even if the puck bounces everywhere, he knows how to pick it up and where to put it," Khudobin said. "It's really hard to play against him. I played against him. I know what it is. I'm glad we have him on our team."
Bowness said Pavelski's skill is enhanced greatly by a practice schedule that's impressive to watch. Proof can be found in the tweet below, when Pavelski was filmed tipping point shots at a practice last season.

"He was out there on the ice with the defensemen deflecting pucks, telling them where to shoot so he can get his stick on it, so there's a lot of practice," Bowness said. "That's not necessarily natural instinct to get in there knowing where to put your stick, so you're watching the defensemen shoot and you're watching the velocity of the shot and where it's going. And with enough practice, you're able to get your stick in there and make things happen. He's one of the best I've seen, but it's a lot of hard work."
Pavelski was just as complimentary of Hintz and Kiviranta.
"He's a great skater, hard on pucks, wins a lot of puck battles, keeps plays alive," Pavelski said of Hintz. "He can drive it through the middle of the ice. He's a fun player to play with for sure."
As for Kiviranta, "This was probably his best game since he came back," Pavelski said. "The intensity to win pucks and be around the net really showed up. It was good, all three guys were going."
When that happens, the team can do near heroic things. Friday was must-win. The same might be true for Sunday and Monday. If the Nashville Predators win one of their final two games against Carolina, they clinch a playoff spot and send the Stars home for the summer. If they don't, Dallas needs to win two games against Chicago.
No matter what happens, Pavelski has become a huge part of this team going forward.
"I think it's been going really good for us," Hintz said when asked about the chemistry between he and Pavelski. "It's been going good all season together. I think we've been finding each other well and we like to play with each other, so I think that's the biggest thing."