Why is Joe Pavelski nicknamed Captain America? Exploring the veteran's moniker

Joe Pavelski, 38, is one of the oldest active players in the NHL. Despite his age, he's still delivering at the highest level. On Tuesday, during the Dallas Stars' Round 2 Game 1 against the Seattle Kraken, the veteran scored four goals and became the oldest player to do so in the playoffs.

In 2016, he was named the captain of Team USA for the World Cup, which was held in Toronto, Canada. Since then, the 38-year-old has been known as "Captain America."

Joe Pavelski is one of the best United States players to skate in the NHL. With his brilliant four-goal showdown against the Kraken, Pavelski further extended his goal record tally to 68 (US-born player with the most playoff goals in NHL history).

Pavelski is having a great season for the Stars. He has played in 82 regular-season games this season and has racked up 77 points by notching 28 goals and 49 assists. He's appeared in 170 games in his NHL post-season career and now has 130 points from 68 goals and 62 assists.

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Joe Pavelski's 4 goals fell short for the Dallas Stars in Game 1

The fairytale season for the Seattle Kraken continues to run on as they overcame the Dallas Stars in Game 1 of the second round on Tuesday. The Kraken dominated the first period and went on to take a 4-2 lead before the second period.

Joe Pavelski celebrating his goal during Game 1

The second period had no goals from either side. Pavelski made a comeback for the Stars and completed his hat-trick with a fourth goal to tie the game at 4-4 in the third period, forcing the game to move into overtime. However, it was Yanni Gourde who scored the OT winner for the Kraken and sent the veteran's four goal-contributions into vain.

Pavelski returned to the lineup for the first time since April 17. He suffered a concussion following a collision with the Minnesota Wild's Matt Dumba in Game 1 of the first round. The veteran forward spoke to the media and said how excited he was about returning to the lineup (via NHL.com):

"Excited to be back, that's for sure. First lap of warmups, felt a shot of adrenaline right there, was excited. Starting the game was just as much fun. We battled all night. It was a good game. We were right there. Obviously tough loss, we want to get those."

The Stars and Kraken will go toe-to-toe next on May 5.