John Klingberg returned to the San Jose Sharks lineup on Wednesday for the first time in seven games, and the timing could hardly have been sharper. San Jose faced the Edmonton Oilers in a game that carried real weight for a team still in a playoff push.
Klingberg, 33, said it never feels good to sit out, but he was ready to get back in and do what he could. He said the plan was to play his game, stay solid at both ends and let the rest come to him. San Jose also planned to use him on the second power-play unit, a group that had gone 31.6% over the previous six games, while keeping him off the penalty kill.
The move also gave coach Ryan Warsofsky the right-shot defender he wanted to help settle Mario Ferraro back on his strong side. Warsofsky said Klingberg helps because he is a righty and can get Ferraro off his off-side, and he added that Klingberg can move the puck and get it through at the offensive blue line. That matters for a Sharks team trying to make small lineup choices count in a tight race.
The context is simple enough. Klingberg came in with a healthy season but knowing he had to produce to keep his place. He said his hips need a lot of attention at his age, and he made clear that his role is mostly on the offensive side. For San Jose, the return was also about trying to handle an Edmonton team whose power play ranked first in the NHL at 29.7%, even without Leon Draisaitl.
That is where the pressure lands. Klingberg said defending that group has to be a five-man job, not something left to one defenseman, one center or one winger. Kiefer Sherwood put it another way, saying teams can be controlled with possession and worn down over the course of a game. For the Sharks, getting Klingberg back was not just about adding a name to the lineup. It was about trying to tilt the ice before Edmonton could do it first.
