SAN JOSE — As the stock market continues its steep decline, Joe Pavelski’s value heading toward unrestricted free agency is soaring.

Pavelski scored his 23rd goal of the season with 30 seconds remaining in regulation Saturday, allowing the Sharks to steal a point against the woeful Los Angeles Kings by going to overtime. In doing so, Pavelski surpassed his goal total from last season.

On pace to score 51 goals, the Sharks captain should be in for a big pay raise this summer.

“I knew he was going to have a good season because he’s healthy,” head coach Pete DeBoer said. “Nothing with him surprises me.”

Here’s what we learned as the Los Angeles Kings beat the Sharks 3-2 in overtime at SAP Center:

1. The Sharks don’t like to ‘leave points on the table.’

Another sign that the Sharks are in an emotionally different place than they were just three weeks ago: the team is raising its expectations.

As the Sharks stumbled through the first two months of the season, the team looked for silver linings in every loss. A 4-0 shutout in St. Louis on Nov. 9 was a “small bump in the road.” A 6-0 loss in Las Vegas on Nov. 24 was something that “just happens.” After a 5-3 loss in Toronto on Nov. 28, the Sharks insisted they were “close” to competing with the best teams in NHL.

But Brent Burns didn’t waste his time trying to put positive spin on the Sharks overtime loss to the Kings, who entered Saturday’s game with the fewest points in the Western Conference.

“We know we had better,” the 2017 Norris Trophy winner said. “You don’t like to leave points on the table. It was a good comeback in tying it, but you’ve got to get two points every night.”

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A few weeks ago, the Sharks would have patted themselves on the back for erasing a 2-0 deficit in the last 10:18 of the third to earn a point. Now, with points in eight of 10 games, moral victories aren’t good enough anymore.

The Sharks slept through the first 10 minutes of the game, allowing the Kings to record 10 of the first 11 shots and score the opening goal at 4:28. Ilya Kovalchuk netted his first goal since Nov. 6 in his first game back from injury after missing 10 games.

Though the Sharks carried the momentum throughout the last two periods, the slow start did them in, especially after the Kings added an insurance goal from Alex Iafallo at 5:15 of the third. The Sharks caught a break when the NHL situation room overturned an apparent goal from Oscar Fantenberg in the second, determining that Dustin Brown impaired Martin Jones’ ability to perform his duties in the crease as he battled with Brenden Dillon in front.

“We probably got what we deserved,” DeBoer said. “Our execution wasn’t great. Our energy was just okay. It was one of those nights. We haven’t had one in a while.”

2. Erik Karlsson is unlikely to get suspended for his hit on Austin Wagner.

Contrary to speculation on social media and TV, it seems unlikely that Karlsson will get suspended for his hit on Wagner.

Karlsson knocked Wagner out of the game with an apparent concussion at 2:41 of the second, making contact with his head on an open ice hit at the Kings blue line.

But here’s what’s working in Karlsson’s favor: the primary point of contact wasn’t Wagner’s head, he didn’t elevate in delivering the hit and he isn’t a repeat offender. If Karlsson does face discipline from the NHL Department of Player Safety, it will likely be in the form of a fine instead of a suspension. He’s scheduled to have a hearing Sunday.

“It’s one of those plays,” Karlsson said. “I’m closing gap and he skates into me. I don’t even really lean into him. I’m in his lane and it’s a shoulder-to-shoulder hit. Unfortunately, he went down hard and he didn’t come back. I hope he’s okay. At the end of the day, it’s a hockey play.”

Pavelski called it a “good hit.” DeBoer agreed.

“It looked really clean,” the Sharks coach said. “Kid coming across the middle with his head down a little bit. I thought he made contact with the shoulder, didn’t leave his feet.”

In addition to delivering the big blow, Karlsson earned a pair of assists, extending his point streak to eight games, his longest with the Sharks.

3. Lukas Radil earns more responsibility.

Now that he’s fulfilled his childhood dream by reaching the NHL at age 28, Radil is pushing for a bigger role than the fourth line grinder slot where he suited up for his first 12 games.

With the Sharks trailing in the second, DeBoer reshuffled his lines to give the offense a jolt, sliding Radil up in the lineup to skate alongside Logan Couture and Timo Meier.

The move paid off as the Czech rookie scored the Sharks first goal at 10:18 of the third, punching in a pass from Meier in the slot. Radil’s third goal marked his sixth point in seven games since DeBoer reinserted him into the Sharks lineup in Arizona on Dec. 8.

Czech this goal out 👀 pic.twitter.com/OSkccb581l — San Jose Sharks (@SanJoseSharks) December 22, 2018

The Sharks coach isn’t putting a ceiling on Radil’s potential.