Former Sharks Pavelski, Goodrow face off for Cup
If recent history is any indication, Joe Pavelski will send Barclay Goodrow a congratulatory text message before tonight.
Then the two former Sharks teammates will cut off communication — at least until one of them wins the Stanley Cup.
That’s right, one of the Sharks is going to win the Stanley Cup this year. Just not your Sharks.
Goodrow and the Tampa Bay Lightning advanced Thursday night by beating the New York Islanders in six games. Pavelski and the Dallas Stars advanced Monday night by beating the Las Vegas Golden Knights, coached by Sharks castoff Pete DeBoer, in five games.
The Cup final starts tonight at Rogers Place in Edmonton, Alberta.
Pavelski, the Sharks captain for 10 seasons, signed with Dallas last July for three years and $21 million, numbers the Sharks were unwilling to offer the 36-year-old centerman. Goodrow, a member of the Sharks organization since 2014 and a full-time starter the past two years, was traded to Tampa Bay at the deadline.
Both played major roles in helping their teams reach the final. Goodrow took it to the extreme, assisting on the winning goal Thursday night.
“Would these two teams be in the Stanley Cup Final without the additions of Goodrow and Pavelski? Maybe,” NHL analyst Eddie Olczyk said on a conference call Friday. “But probably a better chance of getting here with these guys than without them, because of the impact that they’ve had.
“I don’t think anybody could argue what these guys have done for these teams.”
Before the Dallas-Vegas series began, Pavelski sent
DeBoer and Steve Spott — his coaches with the Sharks for four years — a text message to congratulate them on reaching the Western Conference final. Then Pavelski said he’d only talk to them again after the series was over.
“He’s there for one thing, and that’s to win,” DeBoer said at the time, “and you respect the hell out of him for that attitude, because when you were coaching him, that’s what you loved about him and that’s what carried a lot of the teams we had through the runs that we went on.”
Pavelski had a goal and an assist in the five games against Vegas and averaged 17:53 of ice time, second most among all Stars forwards. In 21 games since the postseason began, Pavelski has nine goals and five assists. He’s also won 54.6% of his team-leading 280 faceoffs.
Those type of stats should look familiar to Sharks fans.
From 2007-19, Pavelski played in 134 playoff games for the Sharks and had 100 points, behind only Joe Thornton (106) and Logan Couture (101) in that time.
Across the NHL, Pavelski’s 12 game-winning goals for San Jose over those 13 years is matched only by Evgeni Malkin and Johan Franzen.
It was the type of resume that Stars GM Jim Nill coveted after his team came within one goal last year of advancing to the West final.
“That was one of the reasons why I liked Dallas so much to come out of the Western Conference,” Olczyk said. “The experience, the big-time contributions in all parts of the game — faceoffs, scoring big goals. When you bring in a guy like that, it sends another message inside that locker room.”
Goodrow, similarly, has fit right in with the Lightning’s deep and talented roster.
Lightning GM Julien BriseBois paid a hefty price to land Goodrow at the trade deadline, sending Tampa Bay’s first-round pick and minor-leaguer Anthony Greco to the Sharks for Goodrow and a 2020 third-rounder.
What seemed like an overpay at the time looks well worth it now.
“I’m a big believer in our management and Julien. You have to give assets, and draft picks are assets — there’s no question,” Lightning coach Jon Cooper said this week. “But I don’t think you can value that saying that if it’s a first-round pick, you have to get a 50-goal scorer. It’s not how it works. You’re trying to build your own team. There’s a reason Barclay Goodrows are at a premium and you have to give a first-round pick for him.”
Goodrow was as versatile a player as the Sharks had earlier this season, playing in just about every forward slot — including No. 1 center for a short period when Couture and Tomas Hertl were out of the lineup.
He blocked shots, played physical hockey, stood up for teammates, was arguably the Sharks’ best penalty-killer and grew into a responsible two-way forward.
He’s doing all of that as well for the Lightning, who believed they needed those kind of gritty elements to get this far. His line with Yanni Gourde and Blake Coleman has done everything Cooper has asked.
Also, by virtue of the Lightning making the Cup final, that first-round pick the Sharks acquired will now be 30th or 31st overall, depending on who wins the Cup.
“San Jose clearly didn’t want to give him up and if they were going to give him up, you were going to have to pay a price for it. We were OK with that,” Cooper said. “With Barclay, he’s exactly what we needed. We needed that scrappy, energy, gamer. He epitomizes ‘team.’”