Edmonton Oilers defenceman John Klingberg missed the last 10 games of the regular season after blocking a shot in March and suffered an ankle injury. He recorded four points in the 11 regular-season games he played in, though his game had its ups and downs. With that and the missed time, I didn’t expect him to play much in the playoffs, and if he did, I wasn’t sure he’d make much of an impact.
Yet, he’s played the last two games against the Los Angeles Kings, averaging around 18 minutes, and for a guy who hasn’t played much over the past year, he’s been a pleasant surprise for the Oilers so far this postseason. Klingberg, whose hip issues had affected his mobility on the ice and led to surgery in December 2023, said in a recent interview, “I feel good, this is the best I’ve moved so far, I think on the ice. I think the time off with my ankle and the meds probably helped my hips a little bit.”
He says he feels good, and his play reflects that. In Game 2 against the Kings, he did a great job of keeping the puck in the offensive zone in the second period. He then cut to the middle of the ice before delivering a shot-pass to Leon Draisaitl to get the Oilers on the board, earning an assist. Overall, he’s been very mobile with the puck, made smart passes and looks dangerous when paired with the dynamic duo in the offensive zone.
That said, Klingberg, despite the small sample size, seems to be elevating his game this postseason with the Oilers, but this isn’t unfamiliar territory for him. Over his career, the 32-year-old has played 65 playoff games, recording 40 points (8 goals, 32 assists). Of those, 59 games came during his time with the Dallas Stars from 2013 to 2022, where he delivered under pressure in the playoffs several times. With that in mind, let’s take a look at some of his most clutch moments in the postseason.

Klingberg Scored the OT Winner To Eliminate the Nashville Predators in 2019

Before his hip issues limited his mobility, Klingberg was a very dynamic offensive D-man, and during the 2019 Stanley Cup Playoffs, he recorded nine points in 13 games, with his standout moment coming in the first round against the Nashville Predators.
The Stars were up 3-2 in the series and had a chance to clinch in Game 6. Before that, the blueliner had recorded five assists, but scored his first goal of the playoffs in clutch fashion.
The game was tied 1-1 and went into overtime. With just under three minutes left in the extra frame, the Swede received a cross-ice pass from Alexander Radulov and fired a wrist shot past Pekka Rinne, becoming the OT hero, sending the Stars to the second round. Unfortunately, in round two, they were eliminated in a heartbreaking Game 7 double OT loss to the eventual Stanley Cup champions, the St. Louis Blues.

Klingberg Had an Incredible Cup Run in 2020 with Several Clutch Moments

That said, Klingberg’s peak in the postseason came during the 2020 Stanley Cup Playoffs, where he played a key role in helping Dallas reach the Stanley Cup Finals.
After the NHL season was paused in March 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, play resumed in August with a special 24-team playoff format. Games took place in two “bubble” locations to ensure player safety, with Western Conference teams, including Klingberg’s Stars, competing at Rogers Place in Edmonton, which also hosted the Stanley Cup Final.
The D-man recorded an impressive 21 points in 26 playoff games during the 2020 postseason, the third-most among all NHL blueliners, and played some of his best hockey at what is now his home arena, Rogers Place. Also, as an interesting side note, current Oilers Corey Perry and Mattias Janmark were Klingberg’s teammates during that stretch.
Some of Klingberg’s highlights from the Stars’ run to the Cup Finals include huge plays from their opening-round matchup against the Calgary Flames. In Game 4, with Calgary leading 2-1 in the series, the game went to OT. With under four minutes remaining, the blueliner ripped a one-timer that was redirected by Alexander Radulov, sealing the Game 4 win, with the D-man earning a primary assist on the game-winner.
In Game 5, with the score tied 1-1 between the Stars and Flames, Klingberg scored the go-ahead goal early in the third period. He walked in on former Oiler netminder Cam Talbot and beat him high-glove, which turned out to be the eventual game-winner. The Stars went on to eliminate the Flames in Game 6.
Additionally, in the Western Conference Finals against the Vegas Golden Knights, Klingberg’s wrister in Game 1 — the first shot of the game for the Stars — was the only goal scored, giving Dallas a 1-0 victory and adding another game-winner to his 2020 playoff run.
On top of that, his offensive wizardry came up clutch again in an elimination Game 5. With the Stars up 4-1 in the series but down 2-1 with just under four minutes left, Klingberg got a point shot through, and the puck trickled to Joel Kiviranta, who tied the game, with Klingberg picking up a big assist on the game-tying play.
Game 5 went to OT, and on the power play, Klingberg faked a shot before passing the puck to Denis Gurianov, whose one-timer beat Robin Lehner, sending the Stars to the Stanley Cup Final.
Additionally, the Swedish D-man had another clutch moment during that playoff run, and it came in the Stanley Cup Final against the Tampa Bay Lightning. In Game 5, with the Lightning leading 3-1 in the series, the game went to double OT.
Klingberg received the puck at the offensive blue line and smoothly cut to the middle to get into a good shooting position. He unleashed a slap shot, and his now Oilers teammate, Perry, who was parked in front of the net, picked up the rebound and tucked in the game-winner, forcing a Game 6. Once again, that entire sequence started because of Klingberg’s confidence in walking the blue line.
Taking a look at some of the clutch plays Klingberg has previously made in the playoffs, many of them showcase just how confident he’s previously been on the blue line—walking it, cutting to the middle, and finding a lane to get the puck through, similar to what he did for the Oilers on Draisaitl’s goal in Game 2.
All things considered, five years ago, with the Stars, was likely when he reached his playoff peak, but if he can get even close to 70% of that level for the Oilers, he could become quite the weapon for Edmonton. And considering he hasn’t played a lot of hockey recently, if he’s already performing this well, he’s likely to improve further in the series versus the Kings, as he sees more action.

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