After making it through what he dubbed a “tough season” in Dallas, John Klingberg is excited to play in the quarterfinals at the world championships.
It’s an experience he jumped at the chance to have.
“I knew we had a chance to get a real good team together,” said the 24-year-old blueliner. “I know a lot of guys from before and I had a chance to play against them pretty late into the season.”
Sweden faces Switzerland today, and head coach Rikard Gronborg has been impressed with Klingberg’s play during the tournament.
“What stands out is his mobility,” Swedish head coach Rikard Gronborg said. “He’s really smooth the way he moves around the ice. He jumps into the attack real well. He’s always a threat on the ice. He’s maturing as a defenseman too. He takes quite a bit of responsibility defensively. But especially his offense stands out to me.”
There’s more at the link, and you can see the schedule for the quarterfinals here. [NHL]
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Julius Honka’s confidence level is growing, thanks to his time at the world championships. [Stars]
Sean McIndoe remembers five teams (including the 1997-98 Stars) that rebounded from bad seasons to win the Stanley Cup the following season. [The Hockey News]
The Senators beat the Penguins 5-1 last night, taking a 2-1 series lead. [Pensburgh]
Nifty hands from Turris – these @Senators aren’t slowing down. #PITvsOTT #StanleyCup pic.twitter.com/cFsdb8JbcD
— NHL (@NHL) May 18, 2017
In his latest 30 Thoughts, Elliotte Frideman wonders whether Jordan Eberle could be headed to the Blues. Plus, Sergei Gonchar gets a shoutout for helping the defense in Pittsburgh. [Sportsnet]
What it’s like to watch a Penguins playoff game with Marc-Andre Fleury’s family.[Pittsburgh Post-Gazette]
Vernon Fiddler has one goal: win the Stanley Cup.
“I’d sweep the floor for David Poile. I just want to win that Cup.” Retirement near, Vern Fiddler comes full circle: https://t.co/r3H9lqlw1t
— Alex Prewitt (@alex_prewitt) May 18, 2017
Making a case for each of the GM of the Year candidates. [The Hockey News]
Which Capitals players could end up wearing Golden Knights jerseys? [Washington Post]
Sixteen-year-old Senators fan Jonathan Pitre has had a successful stem cell transplant.
Some incredible news out of Minnesota has the @Senators smiling in Ottawa. https://t.co/p6WBZK9oY5
— NHL (@NHL) May 17, 2017
What the influx of Swedish players in the NHL means for the future of the game. [Sportsnet]
Nathan MacKinnon could really use some help in Colorado. [The Hockey News]
And finally, just a reminder that Antoine Roussel had a pretty good time at worlds.
Rous co-led the World Championship tournament in goal scoring through the preliminary round with six tallies. #GoStars pic.twitter.com/NTdpMEeuFY
— Dallas Stars (@DallasStars) May 17, 2017