While making his rounds during the morning skate on Friday at American Airlines Center, Stars coach Lindy Ruff had a special message for defenseman John Klingberg.
“Take care of your own end first,’’ Ruff told him.
In other words, keep it simple, and everything will fall into place. It is sound advice for a player who has had a bumpy time of it in his first exposure to the NHL playoffs.
Klingberg goes into Game 5 of the opening-round series against Minnesota with a team-worst minus-4 rating. In all the playoffs, only Eric Staal of the New York Rangers was worse, at minus-6.