Dallas Stars Daily Links: John Klingberg, In Your Face And Loving It

John Klingberg, generally speaking, doesn’t really seem all that punchable. As one of the NHL’s elite defenders, he usually lets his impressive skill set do the maneuvering.

But the Ghost of Gothenburg has racked up a league-leading 26 penalty minutes in the 2022 Stanley Cup playoffs – and it’s firing up the Dallas Stars even as it seems to be confounding the Calgary Flames.

At least one person is very, very impressed with Klinger’s newfound pugnacious streak, reports The Dallas Morning News’ Matthew DeFranks. That person is his boss:

“I love the intensity,” Stars coach Rick Bowness said. “Listen, it’s an intense, physical game out there. When you’re challenged in our league, you’ve got to stand up for yourself. That’s the reality. He’s doing that. He’s done that in the playoffs we had three years ago against Nashville and St. Louis, he did the same thing. He was great in the bubble. He’s a competitive guy.

“Right now, the stakes are at their highest and you want your players to be able to respond to that. That’s his way of responding. He’s an intense guy, he’s a competitive guy and he’s going to play like that. Was that a little bit out of character during the regular season? Yeah, but right now when the stakes are this high, you want every player giving you as much as they can. John is doing that.”

Matt has more. [SportsDayDFW]

Stars Stuff

Oh my, guess what’s still happening, all on the quietus.

Also, take a look at Saad Yousuf’s report from morning skate.

Around The Leagues

About Last Night...In Playoffs Action

• The Boston Bruins, finding their groove, evened the series with the Carolina Hurricanes with a 5-2 win in Game 4. [Stanley Cup Of Chowder]
• Speaking of tied series, it was the St. Louis Blues’ turn to brutalize a Central Division rival with a big win – this time, it was 5-2 over the Minnesota Wild. [Hockey Wilderness]
• The Tampa Bay Lightning pulled even in the Atlantic Division with a resounding 7-3 victory over the Toronto Maple Leafs. [Raw Charge]
• And the Los Angeles Kings rebounded at home to torch the Edmonton Oilers 4-0 and tie up the Pacific Division. [Copper And Blue]

Sometimes a good coach is a bad match. Barry Trotz won’t return to the New York Islanders next season.

And sometimes, the rebuild isn’t over until it’s over. The Ottawa Senators have announced that Pierre McGuire is out as senior VP of player development.

Yes, this is a pretty big milestone, but maybe we should be asking ourselves why it’s a big milestone.

Greetings From Scenic Cedar Park – And Beautiful Boise

Now’s the time to start planning that fall trip to Austin Metro....

The ECHL schedule for next season is out, too, and the Idaho Steelheads feel like singing.

Finally

A short, sharp reminder for any player who thinks about getting edgy while Jamie Benn is on the ice. This is your only warning.