The Dallas Stars are already struggling with injury, with both Patrick Sharp and Jordie Benn on the shelf. Things didn’t get better in Friday’s win over the New Jersey Devils. Defenseman John Klingberg left the game with a lower-body injury.
The hit that sent him out of the game almost seemed innocuous. Klingberg chased a rush back when he was caught out of position and was bumped from behind by New Jersey’s Kyle Palmieri. The hit sent Klingberg to the ice. He was slow to get up and worked his way off the ice.
That was Klingberg’s first shift of the game.
He went to the bench but didn’t leave the game. On his next shift he was visibly struggling and didn’t last long before he headed down the tunnel.
Between periods the team announced that Klingberg wouldn’t return.
The initial hit is below.
Any time without Klingberg would be a blow for Dallas, not just because they depend on him on the power play and in overtime, but because they’ve struggled to stabilize the blue line and even made a trade to try and get there.
Klingberg has 10 goals and 53 points in 66 games this season.
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Dustin Nelson is the News Editor for The Hockey Writers. He’s a contributor to Hockey Prospectus, Hockey Wilderness, and writes a column for Rotowire. He’s also written for Gone Puck Wild, Wild Xtra, InDigest, Electric Literature, The Rumpus, Tiny Mix Tapes, Prefix Magazine & other publications. Have a tip? Email him at dlukenelson[at]gmail[dot]com.
