Klingberg notched an assist and three blocked shots in Wednesday's 6-2 loss to the Kings in Game 2.
Klingberg was activated off long-term injured reserve prior to Game 2 and drew in to play a bottom-four role. He set up a Leon Draisaitl tally in the second period. Klingberg has a history as a scoring defenseman, but injuries have limited him to just 25 games across the last two regular seasons. He had four points, 19 shots on net and 13 blocked shots in 11 outings in 2024-25, and if his defense falters, he may not be an everyday part of the Oilers' lineup.
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Oilers' John Klingberg: Back in lineup against Kings
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Klingberg (lower body) will be in action for Wednesday's Game 2 matchup with Los Angeles, Tony Brar of Oilers TV reports.
Klingberg has played in just one of the Oilers' previous 22 games but will return to the lineup for Game 2. Given his injury history, Klingberg will likely see more limited minutes in the third pairing alongside Jake Walman. With the veteran Klingberg back from injury, Josh Brown will be dropped from the lineup as a healthy scratch.
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Oilers' John Klingberg: Could suit up for Game 2
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Head coach Kris Knoblauch relayed that Klingberg (lower body) is a "very good possibility" to play in Game 2 against the Kings on Wednesday, according to Oilers play-by-play announcer Jack Michaels.
Klingberg is still on long-term injured reserve -- the right-shot blueliner missed all but one of the last 21 games of the regular season due to his lower-body injury. If the 32-year-old suits up for Game 2, he'll likely receive sheltered minutes in a third-pairing role considering his long layoff from game action. Klingberg has recorded eight goals and 31 assists over 63 career playoff appearances.
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Oilers' John Klingberg: Not ready to play
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Klingberg (lower body) will remain out of the lineup for Game 1 against the Kings on Monday, Mark Spector of Sportsnet reports.
Previous reports indicated that Klingberg might be ready to play Monday but it appears that was premature. The 32-year-old defenseman was in the lineup for just one of the Oilers' last 21 contests, registering two shots, one hit and one blocked shot in 16:10 of ice time versus the Kraken on March 27. Even once cleared to play, Klingberg may struggle to break into the lineup ahead of Ty Emberson or Josh Brown.
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Oilers' John Klingberg: Close to return
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Klingberg (lower body) will probably come off long-term injured reserve ahead of Game 1 versus the Kings on Monday, Daniel Nugent-Bowman of The Athletic reports.
Klingberg missed 20 of 21 games down the stretch but could be available for the beginning of the playoffs. He produced one goal, three assists, 19 shots on net, 13 blocked shots and five hits across 11 regular-season outings in 2024-25.
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Oilers' John Klingberg: Out again versus St. Louis
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Klingberg (lower body) will not be available against the Blues on Wednesday, Tom Gazzola of Edmonton Sports Talk reports.
Klingberg has played in just one of Edmonton's last 16 contests, so he is probably not even a lock to play once given the all-clear -- especially if Mattias Ekholm (undisclosed) is back in the lineup. At this point, given his lingering injury woes, it wouldn't be a shock to see Klingberg hang up the skates after the 2024-25 campaign.
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Oilers' John Klingberg: Set to miss road trip
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Klingberg (lower body) is not expected to return during Edmonton's three-game road trip, Oilers play-by-play announcer Jack Michaels reports Wednesday.
Klingberg has appeared in just one of the Oilers' last 13 contests due to his lower-body issue and will now be sidelined for at least three more. At this point, it's probably fair to wonder if the veteran blueliner will return at all this year and what that means for his long-term future. In the meantime, Troy Stecher and Ty Emberson should continue to see significant minutes moving forward.
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Oilers' John Klingberg: Dealing with lower-body injury
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Klingberg (lower body) won't be available for the beginning of Edmonton's upcoming four-game road trip, Derek Van Diest of NHL.com reports Sunday.
Klingberg suffered a setback after returning to the lineup against Seattle on Thursday following a 10-game absence. He has been dealing with a lingering injury and will miss additional time, but the Oilers hope he can join the team on the road. Klingberg has one goal, three assists, 19 shots on net, 13 blocked shots and five hits in 11 appearances this season.
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Oilers' John Klingberg: Returning to action
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Klingberg (undisclosed) will return to the lineup versus the Kraken on Thursday, Paige Martin of Oilers TV reports.
Klingberg didn't appear to be close to a return as of Wednesday, but he has made enough progress to end a 10-game absence. Mattias Ekholm (undisclosed) will be out of action Thursday, so Klingberg should slot back into a top-four role, though the Oilers will dress seven defensemen for the contest.
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Oilers' John Klingberg: Unavailable Saturday
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Klingberg (undisclosed) isn't expected to play Saturday versus Seattle.
Klingberg hasn't been in the lineup since March 4. He has a goal, four points, eight PIM, four hits and 12 blocks in 10 outings in 2024-25. Klingberg will be an option for a bottom-four spot once he's healthy.
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Oilers' John Klingberg: Out again Thursday
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Klingberg (undisclosed) is not in the lineup for Thursday's game versus the Jets, Tony Brar of Oilers TV reports.
Klingberg is set to miss his eighth straight game, and there's been no update on how close he is to a return. Brett Kulak and Troy Stecher continue to play regularly in Klingberg's absence.
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Oilers' John Klingberg: Not expected to play
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Klingberg (undisclosed) won't be available for Sunday's game versus the Rangers, according to Oilers play-by-play announcer Jack Michaels.
Klingberg will miss his sixth straight outing. He has chipped in one goal, three assists, 17 shots on net, 12 blocked shots and four hits across 10 appearances this season. Klingberg's next opportunity to return from a lingering injury will come Tuesday versus Utah.
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Oilers' John Klingberg: Still not ready Friday
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Klingberg (undisclosed) won't play Friday versus the Islanders, Bob Stauffer of the Oilers Radio Network reports.
Klingberg is on the Oilers' road trip, but he will miss his fifth straight game Friday. Troy Stecher remains in the lineup but will likely revert to being a healthy scratch regularly once Klingberg is cleared to play. The Oilers' road trip ends against the Rangers on Sunday.
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Oilers' John Klingberg: Out Thursday
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Klingberg (undisclosed) won't return Thursday versus New Jersey.
Klingberg hasn't been in the lineup since March 4. He has a goal and four points in 10 appearances in 2024-25. His next opportunity to play will come Friday versus the Islanders.
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Oilers' John Klingberg: Traveling with team
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Klingberg (undisclosed) is with the Oilers for their road trip, Daniel Nugent-Bowman of The Athletic reports Wednesday.
Edmonton's next three games are all on the road versus New Jersey, the Islanders and the Rangers on Thursday, Friday and Sunday, respectively. There's no guarantee Klingberg will dress for any of those clashes, but his presence with the team leaves that door open. The 32-year-old defenseman hasn't played since March 4. He has a goal and four points in 10 appearances this season.
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Oilers' John Klingberg: Not playing Monday
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Klingberg (undisclosed) won't be in the lineup for Monday's matchup against the Sabres, Jamie Umbach of the Oilers' official site reports.
Klingberg remains day-to-day and will miss his third straight game. He has registered one goal, three assists, 17 shots on net, 12 blocked shots and four hits across 10 appearances this campaign. Once Mattias Ekholm (undisclosed) and Klingberg are ready to return to action, Klingberg might be a healthy scratch due to the acquisition of Jake Walman.
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Oilers' John Klingberg: Remains out Saturday
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Klingberg (undisclosed) will not be an option for Saturday's tilt against the Stars, Oilers play-by-play announcer Jack Michaels reports.
Klingberg will miss his second straight game. The right-shot defenseman has produced a goal and three assists over 10 outings this season. Troy Stecher will remain in the lineup on the third pairing next to Jake Walman, who will make his Edmonton debut. Klingberg's next chance to return to the lineup will be Monday in Buffalo.
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Oilers' John Klingberg: Ruled out versus Habs
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Klingberg will not be in the lineup against Montreal on Thursday due to an undisclosed injury, Bob Stauffer of the Oilers Radio Network reports.
Klingberg's absence, along with that of Mattias Ekholm (undisclosed), will open up a spot on the blue line for Cam Dineen to play his first NHL game since 2021-22. It's unclear if Klingberg's absence is related to his surgically repaired hip. In his 10 games with the Oilers this year, the veteran has managed one goal and three helpers while logging a career-low 17:21 of ice time.
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Oilers' John Klingberg: Two-point effort Thursday
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Klingberg recorded two assists in Thursday's 4-3 loss to the Panthers.
The veteran blueliner failed to get onto the scoresheet in his first five games as an Oiler prior to the 4 Nations Face-Off, but in three appearances since play resumed, Klingberg has delivered a goal and four points. He's beginning to get his legs back under him after missing over a year of action following hip surgery in December 2023, but without a spot on Edmonton's first power-play unit alongside Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl, Klingberg's fantasy ceiling will be limited.
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Oilers' John Klingberg: First goal since April 2023
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Klingberg had a goal and an assist in a 6-3 loss to the Flyers on Saturday.
The goal was sweet. There was nothing special about it -- Klingberg fired it past Samuel Ersson from the left faceoff circle. However, it was his first regular-season goal since April 3, 2023. Klingberg is six games into his NHL comeback after having hip surgery in December 2023.
