Stars' Joe Pavelski breaks 66-year-old record in Game 1 loss to Kraken

Somehow the historic output wasn't enough as Yanni Gourde's game-winning goal nine minutes into overtime gave the Seattle Kraken a 5-4 win in Game 1 of the Western semifinal.

In defeat, Pavelski broke a 66-year-old record that was held by the late hockey icon Maurice Richard. 'The Rocket' was 35 years old when he tallied four goals for Montreal in Game 1 of the 1957 Stanley Cup Final against Boston. The veteran center/forward had his second career playoff hat trick, and eighth of his career. It was Pavelski's first postseason hatty since netting three against the Calgary Flames in Game 4 of that first round series in 2020 'COVID bubble' playoffs.

Interestingly enough, Pavelski never had a playoff hat trick in San Jose, where he spent his first 13 NHL seasons. An integral part of the Sharks' title contention era in the late Aughts through the early 2010s, Pavelski had nine two-goal playoff games with the team in teal, including three straight games with two goals each in 2010.

Much of the story coming into this series had been focused on how the upstart Kraken have been riding the momentum of the seemingly unbreakable Philipp Grubauer at goal. Pavelski, who had missed the Stars' previous five games due to concussion protocols, appears to have solved some part of that riddle for Dallas. Yet for the offensively talented Stars to get even in the series, they'll need a bit more than a one-man gang.