SAN JOSE – San Jose Sharks defenseman John Klingberg was mired in a small scoring drought around three weeks ago when, after a pair of healthy scratches, he went without a goal in five straight games.
Then Klingberg got a text message from one of his favorite former teammates: ex-Sharks captain Joe Pavelski.
“It’s funny,” Klingberg said. “As I started having my production increase here, it started off when (Pavelski) was texting me and saying, ‘I think you’re going to score tonight.’”
That’s precisely what’s happened.
Klingberg scored five goals in five games from Dec. 7-16, including the game-tying goal late in the third period on Dec. 11 in what became a 3-2 overtime win over the Toronto Maple Leafs.
Two days later, Klingberg scored twice, including a picturesque winner in overtime in a 6-5 triumph over the Pittsburgh Penguins, as he helped the Sharks cap the largest third-period regular-season comeback victory in team history.
Each time Klingberg scored, he would get another text message from Pavelski, always giving him some encouragement.
Pavelski’s uplifting messages are not the only reason why Klingberg has been able to turn his game around in recent weeks. But it’s been reassuring for him to know that his teammate with the Dallas Stars from 2019 to 2022, who was recently inducted into the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame, still watches and cares.
“He’s a good friend of mine,” Klingberg said of Pavelski, one of the greatest Sharks players of all time. “If you ask any player who’s played with him, they would probably say he’s the best teammate they’ve ever had. He’s, for sure, up there for me as well.”
Klingberg didn’t score in the Sharks’ 5-3 loss to the Dallas Stars on Thursday and said Pavelski actually reached out to him afterward to apologize for not texting him before the game.
“He said he was sorry he didn’t text me before the game (Thursday),” Klingberg said. “But he’s pretty sure he thinks I’m gonna score again soon, when he starts texting. So he’ll take credit for that.”
In six games from Dec. 7 to Friday, Klingberg’s eight points were tied for the second-most in the NHL among all defensemen in that time, as he averaged close to 23 minutes of ice time per game.
Entering the Sharks’ game against the Seattle Kraken on Saturday, Klingberg had 15 points in 26 games. Over the previous two-plus seasons with Minnesota, Toronto, and Edmonton, Klingberg, slowed by injuries, had 18 points in 42 games.
Klingberg played a season-high 26:54 on Thursday and said he was encouraged by the way his body felt on Friday, as the Sharks tried to erase another third-period deficit.
“I feel like one big part of why I’m feeling like I’m playing better, too, is I feel like my body is allowing me to do more and more, so I’m feeling comfortable,” Klingberg said. “But at the same time, not putting myself in bad situations out there, trying to do too much. That’s been the two big key parts with my game.
“I didn’t feel like I was exhausted (Thursday) and felt pretty good (Friday) as well. So that’s a huge plus.”
LILJEGREN INJURED
Sharks defenseman Timothy Liljegren missed Saturday’s game with an upper-body injury. Liljegren, who had 20:46 in ice time on Thursday, took part in Saturday’s morning skate, including power play drills, but was one of the first players off the ice as he sought treatment from the team’s medical staff.
Sharks coach Ryan Warsofsky said he would have a better idea of how serious Liljegren’s injury was later Saturday. The Sharks play the Vegas Golden Knights on the road on Tuesday in their last game before the holiday break, then, after a three-day break, travel to play the Vancouver Canucks next Saturday.
Liljegren is fourth among all Sharks defenseman in average time on ice (20:06), and third among the team’s blueliners in shorthanded time on ice per game (2:28).
Vincent Iorio replaced Liljegren in the lineup, playing his fourth straight game. Defenseman Nick Leddy and winger Ethan Cardwell were the healthy scratches.