John Klingberg’s tenacious goal in Game 4 continues Stars’ trend of scoring on rebounds - The Dallas Morning News

When John Klingberg scored 7:17 into the first period on Friday night, it continued a trend for the Stars, who have scored often after their initial shot attempt.

Klingberg followed the puck after Jan Rutta blocked his initial shot, and then beat Andrei Vasilevskiy glove-side for his fourth goal of the playoffs. The goal was nearly identical to Joel Kiviranta’s goal in Game 1, when he followed up after his shot was blocked.

In the Stanley Cup Final, Jamie Oleksiak scored on his own rebound, as did Kiviranta and Klingberg. Pavelski’s goal in Game 2 was a tip of a Klingberg point shot, and Miro Heiskanen’s goal in Game 3 bounced off bodies and in.

Klingberg’s goal gave him 20 points in the playoffs, and the Stars became just the second team ever to have two defensemen with 20-plus points (Heiskanen as well). The first team was the 1984-85 Oilers with Paul Coffey and Charlie Huddy.

Line change pays off

Tyler Seguin has heard the cliché before: in the playoffs, the best players need to be the best players.

And he knows that he’s the team’s highest-paid player that entered Game 4 on Friday riding a 12-game goalless streak.

“You have that determination for sure, looking for that bounce to go in,” Seguin said. “Just start hoping things change. You want to get those looks every night, which has been happening. Staying with it, keep going to dirty areas like I was, especially in the first period last game. I’ve got to do my part as well for the full 60 minutes.”

Prior to Friday night, Seguin posted just one assist since Game 3 of the second round against Colorado way back on Aug. 26. In that time, he was second on the team with 30 shots on goal. Only Jamie Benn had more shots (34), and the Stars captain scored five times during that stretch.

In Game 4, Stars interim coach changed the lines and split up the top unit of Benn, Seguin and Alexander Radulov. Instead, Seguin dropped down to play with Joel Kiviranta and Corey Perry. Joe Pavelski centered Benn and Radulov.

The switch paid off on Pavelski’s goal in the first period, which was set up by a nifty outlet pass by Radulov to Benn, and then a smooth pass from Benn to a streaking Pavelski. The goal was Pavelski’s 11th of the postseason, the most for any NHL player at least 36 years old.

It was the first time Bowness split up Benn-Seguin-Radulov since Game 2 of the Western Conference Final against Vegas.

“I think we’ve had our chances that haven’t gone in,” Seguin said. “Obviously, we need more as well. It’s the oldest cliché of all time: your top players got to be your top players. So we’ve got to find some production here.”

Briefly

— Lightning captain Steven Stamkos missed Game 4 with an injury after making a brief but memorable appearance in Game 3. Stamkos returned after seven months off on Wednesday and scored a goal, but did not play in the second and third periods. Without Stamkos, the Lightning inserted Carter Verhaeghe onto the fourth line.

— Stars forward Blake Comeau missed his second straight game after taking a big hit from Ryan McDonagh in Game 2. Before the game, Bowness classified Comeau as a game-time decision. Nick Caamano remained in the lineup in Comeau’s place on the fourth line.

— Goaltender Ben Bishop, forward Radek Faksa and defenseman Stephen Johns were unfit to play.

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Find more Stars stories from The Dallas Morning News here.

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