Golden Knights’ Tomas Hertl credits call from Joe Pavelski for offensive upswing

Joe Pavelski went a record 201 playoff games without winning a Stanley Cup championship during his 16-year NHL career, but even though the retired center could not get his hands on hockey’s holy grail, he can still help a former teammate experience the sensation. The former seventh-round pick offered some advice to Vegas Golden Knights forward Tomas Hertl earlier this postseason, and it seems to be paying off in a big way.

The 32-year-old Czech, who competed for a title alongside Pavelski on the San Jose Sharks back in 2016, scored the go-ahead goal with less than three and a half minutes remaining in Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final. Hertl dealt the first major blow to the Carolina Hurricanes and now has four goals in these playoffs. He gave a shoutout to Pavelski after a thrilling 5-4 road victory.

“He was a great goal-scorer,” Hertl said at the postgame press conference, per The Athletic’s Chris Johnston. “He kind of called me and talked to me about what to do.”

The man they called Captain America lit the lamp a whopping 14 times in the 2016 Stanley Cup Playoffs and scored 13 times in the 2020 postseason for the Dallas Stars. Pavelski led his team to the Final during each of those runs, so he has loads of big-game wisdom to share. And Hertl is willing to listen.

The No. 17 overall pick in the 2012 NHL Draft is getting into an offensive rhythm at the perfect time. He capped off a huge Golden Knights comeback versus the Colorado Avalanche in Game 3 of the Western Conference Finals, and he helped solidify another Vegas rally on Tuesday night. Tomas Hertl will try to stay hot for Thursday’s clash in Raleigh.

This much is clear: if someone gets a call from Joe Pavelski, it is probably a good idea to answer the phone immediately.

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